Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: Lucknow, Jabalpur and Visakhapatnam Among Top Cities

President Droupadi Murmu honoured the winners of the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26 at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday. The awards recognise the efforts of cities across India to improve urban sanitation, waste management and public cleanliness. A total of 60 national awards were announced across different categories, highlighting the progress made by urban local bodies in creating cleaner and healthier communities.

The event was organised by the Department of Urban Development under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Union Minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu also attended the ceremony.

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26

President Murmu Emphasises Public Participation in Cleanliness

Addressing the gathering, President Droupadi Murmu said that maintaining cleanliness was a shared responsibility that could not be achieved through the efforts of a single organisation or institution. She stressed the importance of active participation from citizens, government authorities and other stakeholders.

The President highlighted the need for behavioural changes, administrative accountability and continuous public involvement to improve sanitation standards. She also suggested introducing cleanliness-related lessons into school education so that children could develop responsible habits from an early age.

She particularly emphasised the importance of educating students about plastic waste management. Recognising the contribution of sanitation workers, she said their experiences and suggestions, along with citizens' feedback, should be considered while developing better sanitation systems.

Murmu also appreciated the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative, which encourages cities to exchange knowledge, share successful practices and learn from one another.

Swachh Bharat Mission Records Significant Progress Since 2014

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal highlighted the transformation brought about by the Swachh Bharat Mission under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described the programme as a nationwide public movement that has encouraged greater participation in cleanliness activities.

According to the minister, India's urban waste-processing capacity has improved considerably since 2014. Waste processing has increased from 16% to 80%, while door-to-door waste collection coverage has expanded from 44% to more than 96%.

He further stated that the removal and treatment of old waste accumulated at legacy dumpsites had made nearly 11,000 acres of urban land available for productive purposes.

The scale of Swachh Survekshan has also grown significantly. While the survey covered 73 cities in 2016, its coverage expanded to 4,751 cities in 2025-26.

This year's assessment received feedback from approximately 2.70 crore citizens. More than 1,700 smaller cities improved their rankings, while over 350 urban local bodies recorded gains of more than 500 positions.

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: Major Winners

The latest survey recognised cities across population groups and specialised categories, including coastal regions, riverfront towns and Himalayan areas.

Top Cities in the Super Swachh League

Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai, Gujarat's Surat and Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada secured the first three positions in the Super Swachh League category.

Cleanest Cities in the Million-Plus Population Category

Among cities with populations exceeding one million, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), Jabalpur and Lucknow achieved the top three positions.

Cleanest Himalayan Cities

The Himalayan category recognised Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, Jammu and Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir as the leading three cities for their cleanliness efforts.

Best Performing Swachh Riverfront Towns

Madhya Pradesh's Rewa secured the top position among riverfront towns. Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh followed in second and third place, respectively.

Top Swachh Coastal Towns

Odisha's Puri, Kerala's Alappuzha and Maharashtra's Ratnagiri were recognised as the three leading coastal towns for their sanitation and cleanliness performance.

Swachh Shehar Jodi Award Winners

Under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative, Ahmedabad-Sanand, Indore-Depalpur and Tirupati-Kuppam emerged as the top three city pairs.

The programme connects cities that have performed well in previous surveys with other cities looking to improve their sanitation standards. A total of 70 mentor cities have been paired with 191 mentee cities to encourage cooperation and knowledge-sharing.

Introduced after the 2024-25 awards, the initiative follows the traditional principle of "Each One, Teach One". It aims to help cities adopt effective waste-management methods and successful cleanliness practices from better-performing urban centres.

PRAGATI-50 Initiative to Develop Model Clean Cities

Manohar Lal also highlighted the PRAGATI-50 initiative, which aims to transform 50 cities into model clean cities through technology-based solutions and regular performance monitoring.

He encouraged state governments to organise cleanliness competitions at their respective levels. Such initiatives, he said, could promote healthy competition among urban local bodies, especially smaller towns, and motivate them to improve sanitation services.

The minister also highlighted the participation of nearly 2.10 crore people in Swachhata Hi Seva 2026. More than 33,000 special camps extended benefits to approximately 17 lakh SafaiMitras, while nearly four lakh children participated in Gyan Yatras.

He congratulated the award-winning cities and reaffirmed the government's commitment to making cleanliness an essential part of urban development and achieving the vision of a Swachh and Viksit Bharat.

How Were Cities Evaluated in Swachh Survekshan 2025-26?

The 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan evaluated urban local bodies using 43 indicators across 10 major areas. These included waste segregation, collection and transportation, solid waste management, visible cleanliness and access to sanitation facilities.

The assessment also considered mechanised desludging services, used water management, institutional performance, public awareness activities, sanitation workers' welfare and citizen feedback mechanisms.

To ensure a comprehensive evaluation, more than 3,000 trained assessors conducted field inspections across the country. GPS-enabled monitoring systems were also used to support real-time tracking and verification.

The entire assessment process, including the submission of evidence and its verification, was conducted through a digital framework supported by quality-control measures. This approach was intended to improve transparency, consistency and credibility in the evaluation process.

Swachh Survekshan Encourages Cities to Build a Cleaner India

Over the years, Swachh Survekshan has developed into an important platform for assessing urban cleanliness and encouraging improvements in sanitation services. The 2025-26 edition reflects the growing involvement of citizens and local administrations in addressing waste-management challenges.

By recognising successful cities and promoting cooperation through initiatives such as Swachh Shehar Jodi, the survey encourages urban local bodies to adopt better practices and improve public services.

Continued public participation, effective waste management and accountability will remain essential to building cleaner cities and achieving India's broader vision of sustainable urban development.