Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: Recognising Clean Cities, Empowering Urban India

Context:
India has made rapid strides in improving urban sanitation since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). As part of this journey, the Swachh Survekshan serves as an annual cleanliness assessment that evaluates the performance of cities in terms of sanitation and waste management. The President of India presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024-25 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, recognizing cities and organizations demonstrating leadership in cleanliness.

Introduction:
Launched in 2016 under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U), Swachh Survekshan has grown into the world’s largest urban sanitation survey. It promotes competitive federalism, encourages citizen involvement, and accelerates innovation in waste management practices across Indian cities.

Key Features of Swachh Survekshan:

• Conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)

• Evaluates cities based on parameters such as:

  • Segregation of waste at source

  • Scientific processing of waste

  • Sanitation in public spaces

  • Citizen feedback and participation

• Promotes transparency, data-backed rankings, and behavioral change

• Covers cities across five population-based categories

Major Award Categories and Winners:

• Premier Super Swachh League (Cities with population over 10 lakh):

  • Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai emerged as top performers

  • Indore retained the top rank for 7 consecutive years

• India’s New Clean Cities (Emerging performers in large cities):

  • Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow recognized for sustained progress

• One City, One Award Initiative:

  • Top-performing cities from each state awarded as Promising Swachh Shehars

  • 34 cities across States and Union Territories earned this recognition

• Special Category Recognitions:

  • Best Ganga Town – Prayagraj

  • Best Cantonment Board – Secunderabad Cantonment

  • Best SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehars – Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur, for ensuring safety and dignity of sanitation workers

  • Special Recognition – Government of Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj Mela Adhikari, and Prayagraj Municipal Corporation for exceptional waste management during Mahakumbh

New Initiatives Announced:

• Swachh City Partnership Initiative:

  • Follows the principle of “Each One Clean One”

  • 78 top-performing cities to mentor one low-performing city from their respective States

  • Promotes peer learning, capacity building, and cooperative action

• Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation Program:

  • One-year focused initiative for clearing legacy waste

  • Aims to free up valuable urban land

  • Enhances scientific waste processing capacity

Significance and Broader Impact:

• Promotes the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) principle

• Encourages the waste-to-wealth model and adoption of circular economy practices

• Enables youth empowerment, green job creation, and entrepreneurial opportunities

• Active involvement of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and school-based initiatives

• Boost to startups, zero-waste colonies, and source segregation innovations

Conclusion:
The Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024-25 reflect India’s growing commitment to urban cleanliness, inclusive governance, and sustainability. By recognizing exemplary performers and encouraging mentorship among cities, the initiative not only inspires healthy competition but also ensures that the vision of a Clean Urban India is realized through collaborative, innovative, and citizen-centric approaches.