The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, recently launched the toolkit for the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. This latest edition emphasizes a streamlined and structured approach to enhancing urban sanitation, combining citizen participation with third-party assessments. A key highlight of the event was the introduction of the Super Swachh League, recognizing cities that consistently excel in cleanliness standards.

What is Swachh Survekshan?

• Inception: Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Objective: Promote urban cleanliness by encouraging public participation.
• Evaluation: Cities are assessed on sanitation and cleanliness metrics to foster healthy competition.

Super Swachh League: A New Competitive Category

The Super Swachh League was introduced to honor cities that have consistently demonstrated top performance.

• Eligibility: Cities ranking in the top three for at least two of the last three years (2021–2023).
• Purpose: To inspire other cities and create a competitive spirit for maintaining high cleanliness standards.

Cities in the Super Swachh League (12 Cities):

• Very Small Cities (<20,000 population): Panchgani, Patan
• Small Cities (20,000–50,000 population): Vita, Sasvad
• Medium Cities (50,000–3 Lakh population): Ambikapur, Tirupati, NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council)
• Big Cities (3–10 Lakh population): Noida, Chandigarh
• Million-Plus Cities (>10 Lakh population): Navi Mumbai, Indore, Surat

Each category is assessed using tailored evaluation parameters to ensure fairness and relevance.

Assessment Criteria for the Super Swachh League

• Minimum Score: Cities must achieve and maintain a score of at least 85% to retain their position.
• Aspirational Indicators: Additional performance measures are included to push cities toward higher sanitation standards.

Transformative Impact of Swachh Survekshan

Swachh Survekshan has fostered collaboration between citizens and local governments, transforming cleanliness into a national priority. It has encouraged cities to continuously improve their sanitation efforts, creating healthier and cleaner urban spaces.

Awards and Recognition

Cleanest cities across all population categories will be honored, ensuring fair recognition for smaller cities alongside urban giants like Indore and Surat. Indore, notably, has maintained its position as the cleanest city in India for seven consecutive years.

The ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan aims to further enhance the movement toward a cleaner, more sustainable urban India.