At the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023, Indore and Surat were jointly honoured as the cleanest cities in India, the seventh consecutive victory for Indore and a historic first for Surat, breaking its streak of being the runner-up for the past three years. The awards, presented by President Draupadi Murmu, also recognized Maharashtra as the cleanest state in the country.
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Secretary Manoj Joshi were present during the award ceremony for cities. The Swachh Survekshan, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission since 2016, stands as the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
The Swachh Survekshan witnessed the participation of over 4,500 cities, with 3,000 assessors evaluating them on 46 indicators. The rankings considered factors such as door-to-door waste collection, segregation at source, cleanliness of public areas, clean water bodies, and citizens' feedback.
Indore and Surat, both achieving 100% door-to-door waste collection, 98% segregation at source, and 100% remediation of dumpsites, shared the top position among cities with a population over 1 lakh. In the category of large cities (population over 10 lakh), Indore secured the first rank, with Surat following closely in second place.
Navi Mumbai retained its third position from the previous year, showcasing its commitment to cleanliness. Maharashtra, with 89.24% door-to-door waste collection and 67.76% source segregation, earned the prestigious title of the cleanest state. Madhya Pradesh secured the second position among states, highlighting the commendable efforts made in waste management.
Chandigarh received recognition for having the best safety standards for sanitation workers, winning the Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar award.
Varanasi was celebrated as the cleanest "Ganga town," underlining its dedication to riverfront cleanliness. Sasvad in Maharashtra claimed the cleanest city award among those with a population below 1 lakh, while Mhow Cantonment was named the cleanest cantonment in the country.
Maharashtra won the cleanest state award with 89.24% door-to-door waste collection and 67.76% source segregation. Madhya Pradesh secured second place with 90.59% door-to-door segregation and 54.1% source segregation.
However, some states faced challenges, with Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Nagaland, and Tripura ranking as the bottom five states in terms of cleanliness.
Addressing the ceremony, President Droupadi Murmu emphasised the importance of creating wealth from waste, acknowledging the harmful impact of urban land buried under mountains of garbage.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the significant increase in scientific waste processing, from 15-16% in 2014 to almost 76% today. Secretary Manoj Joshi stressed the need to eliminate manual cleaning of sewers, emphasizing the mission's goal to create cleaner and safer urban spaces.
As the Swachh Survekshan continues to grow, with 2023 covering 4,416 urban local bodies, 61 cantonments, and 88 Ganga towns, the awards underscore the collective efforts to enhance cleanliness, waste management, and citizen participation in making Indian cities more habitable.
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