NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has bagged the top position in the ‘Super Swachh League’ of Swachh Survekshan Awards, in the category of cities with a population of 50,000-3 lakh, for its exemplary work in urban sanitation, waste management, and green initiatives.
Meanwhile, Noida has emerged as the cleanest city with a population of 3-10 lakh in the same category. On the other hand, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) secured 31st position in the ‘Medium Cities’ category.
The Swachh Survekshan Awards, now in their ninth edition, are based on the results of the world’s largest urban sanitation survey. The survey, conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), assesses cities across the country on their cleanliness, waste management systems, and overall urban hygiene.
President Droupadi Murmu and union minister for housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal presented the awards at the ceremony held in New Delhi.
The recognition acknowledges NDMC’s unwavering commitment, innovation, and leadership in delivering world-class sanitation, waste management, and green initiatives, said officials.
The award was jointly received by Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, NDMC Chairman Keshav Chandra and NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal.
While the MCD covers 96 per cent of Delhi, the Council governs only three percent area; New Delhi, which has official residence of President, Vice President, Prime Minister, ministers, and MPs and significant buildings such as Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, Supreme Court, and Central Vista.
“This award is a testament to NDMC’s continued efforts to set benchmarks in cleanliness, service standards, and civic excellence. I congratulate our employees, especially our Safai Sevaks, whose relentless hard work has earned us this national recognition,” Chandra said.
This year’s edition saw participation from a record number of 4,589 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), a significant increase of 73 cities from the time when the survey was first launched in 2016.
Last year, the MCD was ranked 90th. However, the Council ranked seventh among the cities with a population more than one lakh.
This year, the ministry introduced, for the first time, a classification of cities into five population categories - Very Small Cities (less than 20,000), Small Cities (20,000-50,000), Medium Cities (50,000-3 lakh), Big Cities (3-10 lakh) and Million-Plus Cities (more than 10 lakh).