PIB TrackerScience ministries gear up for the 'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' coastal-cleanup campaign
Dr. Jitendra Singh reviewed preparations for the nationwide 'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' coastal cleanliness campaign (10–19 September), urging science ministries to combine technology, public participation and inter-departmental collaboration to tackle marine litter along India's coast.
What happened
- Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a review of the science ministries and called for seamless coordination to accelerate national priorities.
- Preparations are underway for the 'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' (Clean Coast, Safe Sea) coastal cleanliness campaign, 10–19 September 2026.
- He stressed combining technological innovation, public participation and inter-departmental collaboration for national impact.
- The meeting included the Principal Scientific Adviser and the Secretaries of DST, DBT, DSIR and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- The campaign is a large-scale, citizen-led effort against marine litter along India's coastline.
For Prelims
- Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar: A coastal cleanliness campaign (first held 2022) — citizen-led beach clean-ups against marine litter/plastic, coordinated by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Marine litter: Plastic and other waste in the sea that harms marine life and coastal ecosystems — a growing pollution and blue-economy concern.
- Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES): Runs ocean/coastal research (NIOT, INCOIS) and coordinates coastal-cleanup and blue-economy work.
- Blue economy: Sustainable use of ocean resources for growth and jobs while preserving marine ecosystem health — a policy priority.
- CSIR/DST/DBT/DSIR: India's key scientific departments/agencies; coordination among them is the review's focus.
- Coastal India: A ~7,500 km coastline across nine coastal states and UTs — the scale of the cleanup and marine-litter challenge.
For UPSC: Anchor this in marine pollution and the blue economy — a citizen-led coastal-cleanup mobilising science and public participation against marine litter. Link it to plastic pollution, the blue-economy policy, the Ministry of Earth Sciences' role, and the broader 'Jan Andolan' model of environmental action.
What it is NOT: This is a review of preparations for a September campaign, not the campaign itself or a new law. It targets marine litter through citizen action and coordination; it is an awareness-and-cleanup drive, not a regulatory measure.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.14 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Citizen-led marine-litter action — mobilising science and public participation to protect coastal and ocean health.
Substantiation (data)
'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' coastal cleanup (10–19 September 2026), coordinated by MoES; science ministries urged to combine technology, participation and collaboration.
Exemplification
Citizen beach clean-ups against plastic/marine litter along India's ~7,500 km coast; inter-departmental science coordination as the delivery model.
Problematisation
Marine litter is trans-boundary and land-sourced; clean-ups must be paired with waste management, EPR and behaviour change to be durable.
Way-forward
Combine cleanups with source reduction (plastic bans/EPR), scientific monitoring, and sustained community and blue-economy action.
Position
Government stance: a science-led, participatory 'Jan Andolan' for clean coasts and a healthy blue economy.
Deploys into: Conservation and environmental pollution — marine litter and coastal ecology (GS3.14) · the blue economy and the Ministry of Earth Sciences · plastic pollution, EPR and the 'Jan Andolan' model of environmental action.
Ministry of Science & Technology · 2026-07-12 · PRID 2283839 · PIB source ↗