SWACHH SURVEKSHAN TOOLKIT LAUNCH

GS2 GOVERNANCE

Overview: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, unveiled a new toolkit for the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. This edition introduces a more streamlined and systematic approach, focusing on urban sanitation through citizen participation and third-party validation. The launch event also highlighted the introduction of the Super Swachh League, which recognizes cities excelling in cleanliness.

About Swachh Survekshan:

• Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• The initiative aims to improve urban sanitation through public involvement.
• Cities are assessed based on cleanliness and sanitation metrics.

Introduction of Super Swachh League:

• The Super Swachh League recognizes top-performing cities based on their cleanliness rankings.
• It is aimed at cities that have ranked in the top three for at least two of the past three years (2021-2023).
• The league includes 12 cities, divided into categories based on population size.

Cities in the Super Swachh League:

• Very Small Cities (<20,000 population): Panchgani, Patan
• Small Cities (20,000–50,000 population): Vita, Sasvad
• Medium Cities (50,000–3 Lakh population): Ambikapur, Tirupati, NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council)
• Big Cities (3–10 Lakh population): Noida, Chandigarh
• Million-Plus Cities (>10 Lakh population): Navi Mumbai, Indore, Surat

Assessment Criteria:

• Cities must maintain a score of at least 85% to remain in the Super Swachh League.
• Additional aspirational indicators will also be considered for evaluation.

Impact of Swachh Survekshan:

• Encourages collaboration between citizens and local governments.
• Aims to make cleanliness a national priority and motivates cities to continuously improve sanitation standards.

Recognition and Awards:

• Awards will be given to the cleanest cities in each population category, providing recognition to smaller cities alongside larger ones like Indore and Surat.
• Indore has been ranked the cleanest city for seven consecutive years.