Context: The President of India conferred Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at Vigyan Bhagwan, New Delhi hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
In total, 78 Awards were presented, recognising cities, cantonments, and institutions for their exemplary performance across a range of sanitation parameters.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key Highlights of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25.
About Swachh Survekshan
- Launched: 2016
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
- Instituted under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U)
- 73 cities covered initially (2016), now covering 4589 Cities.
- Assessment Criteria:
- Waste collection, segregation and processing
- Sanitation and public toilet coverage
- Citizen feedback and awareness campaigns
- Innovation in urban cleanliness
Key Highlights of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25:
- Top Cleanest Cities (Population >10 Lakh)
- 1st: Ahmedabad
- 2nd: Bhopal
- 3rd: Lucknow
- Top Cities (Population 3-10 Lakh)
- 1st: Mira Bhayandar
- 2nd: Bilaspur
- 3rd: Jamshedpur
- Special Recognition : Super Swachh League:
- New elite category introduced to honour consistently top-performing cities over the past three years.
- Top 4 cities ( Population > 10 lakh): Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Vijayawada.
- Top Cities (Population 3-10 Lakh Noida): Chandigarh, Mysuru, Ujjain, Gandhinagar.
Other Awards:
- Best Ganga Town: Prayagraj.
- Best Cantonment Board: Secunderabad Cantonment for its exemplary sanitation efforts.
- Best SaifaiMitra Surakshit Shehar: GVMC Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur for their outstanding commitment to the safety and dignity of sanitation workers.
- A special award was given to Uttar Pradesh government and Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, for its exceptional urban waste management during the Mahakumbh.
- Lucknow was honoured with the prestigious Presidential Award for becoming the first city in Uttar Pradesh to receive a 7-star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating.
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs launched
- Swachh City Partnership Initiative: All 78 top performing cities across all population categories will adopt & mentor 1 poor performing city each from the respective States.
- Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation Program:
- 1-year special program starting from Aug 15, 2025.
- Aims to fast-track remediation of legacy waste dumpsites across urban areas and to push the scientific waste processing capacity.
