Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: Cleanest Cities of India

 Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: India’s Cleanest Cities to Be Honoured by President Droupadi Murmu on November 11

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: Cleanest Cities of India

New Delhi: India’s efforts to improve urban cleanliness and waste management will receive national recognition at the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26. President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu will confer the prestigious awards on November 11, 2026, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, honouring cities and urban local bodies that have demonstrated outstanding performance in cleanliness, sanitation and sustainable waste management.

The 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan has been completed under the theme ‘Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath’. The awards celebrate the achievements of cities and States under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and encourage them to maintain higher standards of cleanliness.

The ceremony will take place in the presence of Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Shri Manohar Lal and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Tokhan Sahu.

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26: Key Highlights

The Swachh Survekshan Awards recognise cities that have made significant progress in maintaining clean streets, improving sanitation facilities, managing municipal waste and encouraging public participation.

Key details of the 2025-26 edition include:

• Award ceremony: November 11, 2026
• Venue: Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
• Chief award presenter: President Droupadi Murmu
• Edition: 10th Swachh Survekshan
• Theme: Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath
• Coverage: More than 4,751 cities
• Assessment indicators: 43 indicators across 10 key assessment areas
• Special recognition: Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative

What Is Swachh Survekshan?

Swachh Survekshan is the flagship cleanliness assessment programme of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The programme evaluates the cleanliness and sanitation performance of cities across India. It encourages healthy competition among urban local bodies and motivates municipal administrations to improve waste collection, public sanitation, cleanliness and environmental management.

When the programme began in 2016, it covered just 73 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Over the years, its reach has expanded considerably, covering more than 4,751 cities in the latest edition.

This expansion reflects the growing importance of cleanliness as a public service and the increasing participation of urban communities in maintaining their surroundings.

How Cities Are Evaluated in Swachh Survekshan 2025-26

The 2025-26 edition introduces several assessment improvements to make the cleanliness evaluation more comprehensive and focused on actual service delivery.

Urban Local Bodies were assessed using 43 indicators across 10 major assessment areas.

The assessment covers:

1. Waste Segregation: Whether households and establishments separate wet, dry and other waste at the source.
2. Waste Collection and Transportation: Regular door-to-door collection and proper transportation of municipal waste.
3. Solid Waste Management: Scientific processing, recycling, treatment and disposal of collected waste.
4. Visible Cleanliness: Clean streets, public spaces, markets and neighbourhoods.
5. Access to Sanitation: Availability and maintenance of public and community sanitation facilities.
6. Mechanisation of Desludging Services: Improved and mechanised sanitation services for safe desludging operations.
7. Ecosystem Strengthening and Institutional Parameters: Effective municipal systems, infrastructure and institutional arrangements for cleanliness.
8. Used Water Management: Proper treatment and management of wastewater.
9. Advocacy for Swachhata: Awareness campaigns and public participation in cleanliness activities.
10. Sanitation Worker Welfare, Citizen Feedback and Grievance Redressal: Better working conditions for sanitation workers and responsive public services.

The latest assessment also gives greater attention to citizen feedback, urban riverfronts, coastlines, water bodies, tourist destinations and heritage locations.

Additional indicators focus on preventing open defecation and open urination and promoting positive cleanliness behaviour among schoolchildren.

Digital Monitoring and Transparent Assessment

To strengthen the credibility of the survey, more than 3,000 trained assessors conducted extensive field evaluations across the country.

The assessment process used real-time GPS-enabled monitoring and digital systems to support evidence collection, verification and quality control.

From submission of assessment evidence to its verification, the process was conducted digitally. This approach helps improve transparency, accountability and consistency in evaluating the performance of participating cities.

Such monitoring is important because cleanliness cannot be measured only through official reports. Actual conditions in public places, waste collection systems and sanitation facilities must also be examined.

Swachh Shehar Jodi: A New Initiative to Improve City Cleanliness

One of the important features of Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 is the recognition of the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative.

Launched by Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal on September 27, 2025, this programme introduced a structured mentorship and peer-learning model for urban waste management.

Under the initiative:

• 70 high-performing mentor cities were identified.
• 191 mentee cities participated.
• Cities from 33 States and Union Territories were covered.

• Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between mentor and mentee cities.

The main objective is to help cities with comparatively weaker cleanliness systems learn from the experience and successful practices of better-performing cities.

Instead of working independently, participating cities can share knowledge, improve municipal services and adopt practical waste management solutions.

Mentee Cities Show Improvement in Cleanliness Performance

The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative has reported improvements in several important cleanliness indicators between Swachh Survekshan 2024 and the latest 2025-26 assessment.

The reported changes include:

Assessment Parameter                    SS 2024       Latest Edition

Visible Cleanliness                          48%             70%

Door-to-Door Waste Collection       52%             74%

Source Segregation                          16%             30%

Access to Sanitation                        11%              38%

Used Water Management                 32%             53%

Advocacy for Swachhata                 48%             66%

These figures indicate progress across multiple areas of urban sanitation and waste management among participating mentee cities.

For example, visible cleanliness improved from 48% to 70%, while door-to-door waste collection increased from 52% to 74%.

Access to sanitation also recorded a substantial improvement, rising from 11% to 38%.

The progress suggests that knowledge sharing, technical guidance and cooperation between cities can help strengthen municipal service delivery.

Why the Swachh Survekshan Awards Matter to Citizens

The importance of Swachh Survekshan extends beyond winning awards or achieving a high national ranking.

Clean cities directly affect people's daily lives. Efficient waste collection reduces the accumulation of garbage, proper wastewater management supports environmental protection, and accessible sanitation facilities improve public health and dignity.

The survey also encourages citizens to take responsibility for their neighbourhoods.

Some simple actions can make a meaningful contribution:

• Separate wet and dry waste at home.
• Avoid throwing plastic and garbage in public places.
• Use public toilets responsibly.
• Support local cleanliness campaigns.
• Report overflowing garbage bins and sanitation problems.
• Encourage children to adopt responsible waste disposal habits.

A clean city requires continuous cooperation between municipal authorities, sanitation workers, businesses and residents.

What to Expect on November 11, 2026

Following the completion of the 10th edition's assessment process, cities across India are awaiting the announcement of the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26.

The ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan will recognise outstanding performers across different award categories, including the leading Swachh cities and successful participants of the Swachh Shehar Jodi programme.

The awards are also an opportunity to acknowledge sanitation workers, municipal teams and citizens whose everyday efforts contribute to cleaner and healthier communities.

Conclusion: Building a Cleaner and Healthier India

The Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26 represent a decade of efforts to strengthen urban cleanliness, sanitation and waste management across India.

The expansion from 73 Urban Local Bodies in 2016 to more than 4,751 cities in the latest edition demonstrates the growing scale of the national cleanliness assessment.

The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative adds another dimension by encouraging cooperation and knowledge sharing between cities.

As President Droupadi Murmu prepares to honour the country's top-performing cities on November 11, 2026, the larger message remains clear: cleanliness is not just the responsibility of municipal authorities; it is a shared responsibility of every citizen.

A cleaner city begins with responsible citizens, effective public services and collective action.

Source: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

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