NEW DELHI — Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a high-level meeting at Prithvi Bhawan to finalize preparations for two major national initiatives: the “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar” (SSSS) 2026 coastal cleanup and the India International Science Festival (IISF).
The Minister emphasized that these programs are central to India’s commitment to a sustainable Blue Economy and public engagement with science.
1. Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar 2026
The nationwide coastal cleanup drive is scheduled to run for one week, from September 12 to 19, 2026, concluding on International Coastal Cleanup Day.
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Scope: The campaign will span India’s entire 11,098 km coastline.
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Technology-Led: The Sagar App, a citizen-science platform, will be used to document and manage marine litter. To date, the platform has tracked over 150 tonnes of waste.
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Scientific Goal: Under the PRITHVI scheme, the drive combines manual cleaning with scientific monitoring of seawater quality and shoreline erosion.
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Stakeholders: Coordination includes the Indian Coast Guard, National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), NCC, NSS, and various volunteer organizations.
2. India International Science Festival (IISF) 2026
The Minister also assessed the roadmap for the annual science festival, which is the country’s largest platform for public engagement with innovation.
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Venue: Pune, Maharashtra.
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Timeline: Third week of December 2026.
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Objective: To bridge the gap between scientific institutions and the public, focusing on young researchers, innovators, and students.
“India’s coastal initiatives are emerging as a model of community-driven environmental stewardship supported by scientific institutions.” — Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Science & Technology.
