Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 17: President Droupadi Murmu will today present the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards during a national ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Now in its ninth edition, Swachh Survekshan has evolved into the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey and remains a cornerstone of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U). The awards ceremony will celebrate India’s cleanest cities and honour outstanding contributions made by urban local bodies in promoting sustainable sanitation and cleanliness practices.

A total of 78 awards will be presented across four major categories:

• Super Swachh League (SSL) Cities

• Top Three Clean Cities in Five Population Categories

• Special Categories including Ganga Towns, Cantonment Boards, SafaiMitra Suraksha, and Mahakumbh

• State-Level Awards for Promising Clean Cities of States and Union Territories

This year’s survey has embraced the theme ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, highlighting the mission’s focus on waste minimisation and environmental sustainability.

Over 4,500 cities were evaluated by more than 3,000 trained assessors who conducted ward-level inspections over 45 days. The 2024-25 edition also witnessed unprecedented public participation, with over 11 lac households surveyed and more than 14 crore citizens engaging via face-to-face interactions, mobile apps, and digital platforms.

A new feature this year is the Super Swachh League (SSL) — a category that recognises cities that have consistently ranked among the top performers in cleanliness over the past three years. The SSL seeks to inspire continuous excellence across urban India.

For the first time, cities were assessed in five population-based categories:

• Very Small Cities (under 20,000)

• Small Cities (20,000–50,000)

• Medium Cities (50,000–3 lac)

• Big Cities (3–10 lac)

• Million-Plus Cities (over 10 lac)

Each category was judged using size-appropriate criteria, ensuring fair competition and recognition for cities regardless of their scale.

The Ministry stated that Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 remains a driving force in India’s urban transformation journey, fostering behavioural change, honouring excellence, and instilling civic pride nationwide.