President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu will confer the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 Awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on July 17.
The event, hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), will also witness the presence of Union Minister Sh. Manohar Lal and MoS Sh. Tokhan Sahu.
A total of 78 awards will be distributed across four categories, recognising cities that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to urban cleanliness and public engagement under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U).
Now in its 9th edition, Swachh Survekshan stands as the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. This year, over 14 crore citizens contributed their voices through face-to-face interactions, mobile platforms like the Swachhata App, MyGov, and social media, reflecting the scale and impact of the initiative.
The awards are segmented into four major categories:
- Super Swachh League (SSL) – honouring consistently top-ranked cities
- Top 3 Clean Cities – awarded across five population brackets
- Special Categories – covering Ganga towns, Safai Mitra Suraksha, Cantonment Boards, and Mahakumbh hosts
- State-Level Recognition – for promising clean cities from each State/UT
This year’s assessment framework introduced population-based city classifications, enabling fair competition among:
- Very Small Cities (<20,000)
- Small Cities (20,000–50,000)
- Medium Cities (50,000–3 lakh)
- Big Cities (3–10 lakh)
- Million-Plus Cities (>10 lakh)
With a rigorous 45-day assessment involving over 3,000 trained assessors and 11 lakh households, the survey adopted a smart, structured approach using 10 parameters and 54 indicators. The theme of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle was prominently reflected throughout.
Since its inception in 2016, starting with just 73 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Swachh Survekshan has expanded to over 4,500 cities, becoming a powerful agent of change in reshaping urban sanitation norms and behaviours across India.
