The results are out! Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at Vigyan Bhagwan, New Delhi hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). 23 Super Swachh League Cities received felicitations in the presence of Union Minister, Shri Manohar Lal and MoS, MoHUA, Shri Tokhan Sahu. The new generation of clean cities of India have arrived with Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Lucknow emerging as top Swachh Shehar. 43 National awards have been announced, with a special recognition for Mahakumbh.

At the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards Ceremony, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal presented the award for Best Ganga Town to Prayagraj, while Secunderabad Cantonment was honoured as the Best Cantonment Board for its exemplary sanitation efforts. GVMC Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur were declared Best SaifaiMitra Surakshit Shehar for their outstanding commitment to the safety and dignity of sanitation workers. A special recognition was accorded to State Govt. of UP, Prayagraj Mela Adhikari and Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, for its exceptional urban waste management during the Mahakumbh, the world’s largest congregation, which witnessed an estimated footfall of 66 crore people.

This year’s Swachh Survekshan not only refined and streamlined the framework for big cities, but also simplified it for small cities, encouraging them to compete and climb the ladder of swachhata. The smaller cities found a level playing ground with big cities in the survey. Following the ‘One City, One Award’ principle, the top-performing cities from each State were recognized as Promising Swachh Shehars. A total of 34 cities across various States and Union Territories earned this distinction, showcasing their notable progress in urban cleanliness and sanitation excellence. 

Speaking at the event, the Hon’ble President of India complimented the Ministry for promoting the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) approach and commended the waste to wealth memento presented to her. “Waste is best” is the mantra and it gives strength to circularity in economy”, she added. She highlighted its role in empowering youth, generating green jobs, and creating entrepreneurial opportunities, engaging SHGs. “I am heartened to see that cities have embraced the principles of a circular economy and swachhata as part of our swabhav and sanskaar.  Hon’ble President commended the cities below 1 lakh population who have established excellent standards of swachhata. She praised how the school interventions, initiatives for source segregation startups, zero waste colonies are making the resolve for Swachh Bharat stronger. She concluded,” the Viksit Bharat of 2047 will be exemplary for the world”.

Launching the Swachh City Partnership initiative, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal emphasized the significance of peer learning. He stated that all 78 top performing cities will across all population categories will adopt & mentor 1 poor performing city each from the respective States. “Zaroorat hai Sub ko saath lekar chalne ki”, he added. Following the mantra of Each one clean one, he said, “the winning cities will guide, handhold and lead the way for the others. It is time to bring the low-performing cities on top.” Announcing the Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation program, Union Minister said, “this 1-year special program starting from Aug 15, 2025, will not only help fast-track legacy waste remediation and unlock massive urban space, but will also push the scientific waste processing capacity.”

Welcoming the delegates, Shri Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), reflected on the transformative journey of the Swachh Bharat Mission over the past decade. He noted how sanitation and hygiene have taken centre stage, becoming an intrinsic part of citizens' values and daily lives - deeply embedded in their swabhav and sanskaar. Shri Katikithala also highlighted the role of Swachh Survekshan as a powerful competitive tool that has driven cities to perform better. He further emphasized that the revamped framework - featuring 10 new parameters and five distinct population categories - has enabled smaller cities to compete on an equal footing with larger ones, fostering inclusive and widespread progress. “Having successfully completed 10 years of Swachh Bharat Mission, it is the time, where we need to plan, not just for the next decade, but also need to set the roadmap for Viksit Bharat by 2047”, he concluded.

As the Hon’ble President graced the occasion, she was presented with an elegant sarangi by the Union Minister as a token of appreciation. The memento exemplifies the ‘waste to wealth’ ethos by transforming discarded materials into meaningful, artistic creations - blending sustainability with craftsmanship.

The Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Results Dashboard was digitally launched on the occasion, offering an interactive overview of the rankings and achievements. The key highlights of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 and the accomplishments of the Super Swachh League Cities were showcased through engaging audio-visual presentations, capturing the spirit and scale of the nationwide cleanliness movement.

Check out the winners list, GFC & ODF results dashboard here.

Click here for complete speech of Hon’ble  President Smt Droupadi Murmu

Click here for complete list of Awardees

****

SK