Why is it in the News?

The President of India recently presented the ‘Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023’ at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

What is Swachh Survekshan?

• Conducted annually, Swachh Survekshan is a comprehensive evaluation of cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation standards in cities and towns throughout India.
  • This initiative was launched as an integral component of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, specifically falling under the urban segment (SBA-Urban).
• Initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the survey is executed in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI).
  • The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched on October 2, 2014, aims to achieve cleanliness and the eradication of open defecation in India by October 2, 2019.
  • The campaign is bifurcated into rural (SBA-Gramin, overseen by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti) and urban (SBA-Urban, supervised by MoHUA).
• Recently, on October 1, 2021, SBM-U 2.0 was introduced, focusing on ensuring universal access to sanitation facilities. Within this framework, the vision of attaining a Garbage-Free India has been emphasized.
• Commencing with the first survey in 2016, covering 73 cities, Swachh Survekshan has expanded significantly to encompass 4242 locations in the 2020 survey.
  • The evaluation methodology centres on two primary criteria: citizen feedback and field assessment.

• Objectives of Swachh Survekshan: The primary goal of Swachh Survekshan is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities better places to reside in.

About Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023:

• Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023 were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• The theme for the year 2023 centred around "Waste to Wealth" emphasizing sustainable waste management practices.
  • For 2024, the theme is “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”.
• Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat (Gujarat) jointly clinched the title of the cleanest cities in the country, with Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) securing the third position.
  • Remarkably, Indore maintained its top-ranking status for the seventh consecutive year.
• In the category of clean cities with a population of less than 1 lakh, Sasvad, Patan, and Lonavala secured the top three positions, while Madhyamgram, Kalyani, and Haora in West Bengal found themselves at the bottom.
• The cleanest cantonment was declared as Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh, and Chandigarh earned the SafaiMitra Surakshit Sheher recognition.
• In the Ganga Towns category, Varanasi and Prayagraj secured the first and second positions, respectively.
• Acknowledging overall cleanliness efforts, Maharashtra claimed the title of the best-performing state, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the second and third positions.
  • Odisha secured the fourth spot, with Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Karnataka, Goa, Haryana, and Bihar following suit.
• Conversely, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh found themselves at the lower end of the ranking.