Durgapur, September30, 2026

 

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal launched the PRAGATI-50 initiative to develop 50 model cities for Swachhata in New Delhi on Tuesday (September 29, 2026), alongside key technology-driven urban cleanliness projects including the 'Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre' at CSIR-CMERI Durgapur. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0), the PRAGATI-50 framework focuses on key performance indicators (KPIs) and digital monitoring across 50 cities in 24 States to establish visible benchmarks for urban sanitation.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Union Minister said “These 50 cities across 24 States will emerge as clean role model cities for the rest of the country, by going beyond their routine sanitation work to demonstrate sustained, high-performance parameters of visible cleanliness.

Highlighting the national significance of the facility, Dr. N. C. Murmu, Director, CSIR-CMERI, stated, “The Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre has been established as a national facility for research, product development, testing, validation, certification, and capacity building in sanitation technologies.”

Key Highlights of Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre

ü National Innovation Hub: Established as a national facility in collaboration with CSIR-CMERI for research, product development, testing, validation, certification, and capacity building in sanitation technologies.

ü Bridging Lab-to-Field: Accelerates the deployment of cutting-edge tech solutions, automation, and machine learning tools into active urban municipal operations.

ü Standardization & Capacity Building: Assists Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) with technical guidelines, model designs, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and GeM categorization for waste management infrastructure.

ü Circular Economy Drive: Promotes resource recovery, occupational safety, and sustainable waste processing toward the goal of garbage-free cities under Viksit Bharat 2047.

 

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