Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow were crowned as the leading Swachh Shehars (clean cities) in the country. At an event held here today, a total of 43 national awards were presented, including a special recognition for Mahakumbh, acknowledging exceptional urban waste management during the world’s largest congregation, which drew an estimated 66 crore people.
Union Minister Manohar Lal awarded Prayagraj as Best Ganga Town, and Secunderabad Cantonment was recognized as Best Cantonment Board for its exemplary sanitation work. GVMC Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur received honors as Best ‘Saifai Mitra Surakshit Shehars’ for ensuring the safety and dignity of sanitation workers.
In line with the ‘One City, One Award’ principle, 34 cities from across states and UTs were named Promising Swachh Shehars, recognizing both large and small cities that demonstrated sanitation excellence.
Commending the Ministry’s focus on the 3R approach (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), President Murmu praised the “waste to wealth” memento presented to her and highlighted the importance of circular economy in empowering youth, generating green jobs, and encouraging self-help groups. She noted that cities under 1 lakh population have also set high standards of Swachhata, with impactful efforts like source segregation, school interventions, zero-waste colonies, and sanitation-focused startups.
The ceremony also marked the launch of the Swachh City Partnership initiative, where each of the 78 top-performing cities will mentor a low-performing city from their respective states, following the "Each One Clean One" mantra.
The Union Minister announced the Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation Program, a one-year initiative beginning August 15, 2025, aimed at fast-tracking legacy waste removal and enhancing scientific waste processing across urban India.
