Indore and Surat emerged as the joint cleanest cities in India, as announced during the Swachh Survekshan Awards presented by President Draupadi Murmu on Thursday. Notably, this marks the seventh consecutive win for Indore in the category of the cleanest city in India. Navi Mumbai, securing its position from the previous year, maintained the third spot.
Saswad in Maharashtra was honored as the cleanest city in the category of urban centers with a population of less than 1 lakh. Patan in Chhattisgarh and Lonavla in Maharashtra secured the second and third positions, respectively, in this category. Varanasi and Prayagraj were recognized as the cleanest Ganga Towns. The MHOW Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh received the award for the cleanest cantonment town.
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Secretary Manoj Joshi were present during the awards ceremony. Swachh Survekshan, conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission since 2016, stands as the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
The initiative fosters a competitive spirit among towns and cities to enhance their cleanliness and waste management services. The primary objective of Swachh Survekshan is to encourage widespread citizen participation and raise awareness across all segments of society regarding the significance of collaborative efforts in making towns and cities better places to reside.
In its eighth year, the survey engaged a total of 3,000 assessors who evaluated over 4,500 cities based on 46 indicators. These indicators encompassed aspects such as segregated door-to-door waste collection, zero waste events, disabled-friendly toilets, and improved plastic waste management.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | Controversial Luxury Bus of Pinarayi Vijayan Geared Up for Tourist Excursions
ALSO READ | Defense Minister Rajnath Singh Meets with UK PM Rishi Sunak During Official Visit
