Indore wins 'cleanest city' title seven times; MoHUA introduces special category for top cities in Swachh Survekshan

Speaking at the launch of the new toolkit for Swachh Survekshan, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, announced the introduction of the League.
Indore continues its streak as the cleanest city, while MoHUA launches a special category for top performers in Swachh Survekshan.
Indore continues its streak as the cleanest city, while MoHUA launches a special category for top performers in Swachh Survekshan. (Photo | X /Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry)
Updated on
2 min read

NEW DELHI: Given the supremacy of cities like Indore, which has held the title of the cleanest city for the last seven years in a row, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Friday introduced a separate category for the annual Swachh Survekshan Awards—‘Super Swachh League’. The cities that have claimed the title will now compete with each other in the newly launched category. The aim is to encourage other cities to make efforts to achieve the coveted recognition.

Speaking at the launch of the new toolkit for Swachh Survekshan, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, announced the introduction of the League.

“To acknowledge the exceptional performance of cities in Swachh Survekshan, we are introducing the ‘Super Swachh League’, a competition among the cleanest cities. This reflects our shared commitment to cleanliness, and our continuous innovation ensures that the Swachh Bharat Mission remains a global success even after 10 years. Our focus is on improving quality year after year, with simplified evaluation parameters that ensure clearer data from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and maintain full transparency. This approach strengthens the mission’s reputation and drives ongoing progress in urban cleanliness,” said the minister.

The Ministry has also introduced another change in the assessment process, as cities have been classified into five different groups based on their population for the first time.

Each category—‘Very Small’, ‘Small’, ‘Medium’, ‘Big’, and ‘Million-Plus’—will be assessed based on population and parameters tailored to each city’s specific size and needs. Awards will be given to the cleanest cities in each category. This makes the new Swachh Survekshan more inclusive. Even smaller cities will be able to showcase their excellence alongside the usual stalwarts like Indore and Surat.

Originally launched by MoHUA in 2016, Swachh Survekshan drives urban sanitation improvement through citizen participation and third-party validation. The cities that have ranked in the top three at least twice in the last three years (2021-2023) have made the cut. There are 12 cities in the Super Swachh League. Moving forward, the top three ranking cities in each population category will enter the league for the subsequent years. ULBs in this league will be assessed on additional aspirational indicators and must maintain a score of 85 per cent or higher to retain their position, said ministry officials.

In the Super Swachh League, the Very Small cities are those with populations of less than 20,000, such as Panchgani and Patan. Vita and Sasvad are in the Small cities group, with populations ranging from 20,000 to 50,000. The Medium cities (with populations ranging from 50,000 to 3 lakh) are Ambikapur, Tirupati, and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

Noida and Chandigarh are categorised as ‘Big Cities’ (with populations ranging from 3 lakh to 10 lakh), and, as per the criterion for ‘Million-Plus’ cities (with populations of 10 lakh or more), Navi Mumbai, Indore, and Surat fall into this group.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com