Swachh Survekshan AWARDS

Current Context: President Droupadi Murmu presented Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 awards, marking the 9th edition of India’s largest urban cleanliness survey .

 ABOUT SWACHH SURVEKSHAN

• Launched: 2016 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Aim: Promote cleanliness through citizen engagement, city benchmarking, and competition.
• New Format: Five population categories – Very Small, Small, Medium, Big, and Million‑Plus cities.
• Theme 2024–25: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” (3R).

 Relevant Data

• Super Swachh League: Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai recognized for consistent top performance.
• Top 3 in Million‑Plus: Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow named as new ‘Clean Cities’.
• Lucknow: Achieved 3rd place with 12,001/12,500 score; 100% door‑to‑door collection, 97% segregation, 7‑star “Garbage‑Free City” rating.
• Small Town Spotlight: Belha (Chhattisgarh) named India’s cleanest small town (<20,000 pop.) Jamshedpur and Bundu also featured prominently.

 SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARDS

• Best Ganga Town: Prayagraj
• Best Cantonment Board: Secunderabad
• Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar: Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, Gorakhpur recognised for worker safety.
• Mahakumbh Management: Special award for waste handling during 2025 pilgrimage in Prayagraj.

 STATE‑LEVEL & INNOVATIONS

• Promising Clean Cities: 34 cities across States/Union Territories honoured under “One City, One Award”.
• New Initiatives:
  • Swachh City Partnership – each top city mentors one underperforming peer.
  • Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation – one-year mission from August 15, 2025, to clean legacy waste.