Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023

January 12, 2024

On January 12th, Surat and Indore were jointly adjudged India’s cleanest cities as per the Centre’s annual Swachh Survekshan city cleanliness rankings for 2023. Navi Mumbai secured third place. The awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi.

Ranking Methodology

The Union Housing Ministry confers the Swachh Sarvekshan cleanliness awards, initiated under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Key ranking parameters include:

Citizen feedback evaluations
Field assessments of sanitation indicators

The state governments provide updated data, validated via household surveys and on-ground visits. Additional factors like safety gear for waste workers also get incorporated.

The yearly surveying initiative started with assessing 73 major cities in 2016. Currently over 4,400 towns participate. Around 12 crore citizen feedbacks were incorporated this round.

Indore Retains Top Rank

Indore won the prime award for the seventh straight year now, cementing its reputation as India’s cleanest city. It has been ranked as India’s cleanest city under the Centre’s annual Swachh Survekshan city cleanliness awards for seven consecutive years now. But back in 2016, it stood at number 25.

The 2023 updated list of top ten cleanest cities above 1 lakh population also features Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Vijayawada, Delhi, Tirupati, Hyderabad and Pune.

Statewise and Category Winners

Maharashtra topped the state ranks, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Smaller cities Sasvad, Lonavala and Patan secured the top three cleanliness positions. Mhow Cantonment Board was rated the cleanest cantonment.

Varanasi and Prayagraj won top Ganga town awards. Chandigarh was honored as the safest city for sanitation staff. West Bengal municipalities ranked last across all zones.

Indore’s Focus Areas

Indore Municipality Corporation (IMC) targeted crucial cleanliness metrics underpinning the rankings early on to climb from 25th place within a year. Interventions spanned waste processing, public awareness and open defecation elimination.

Steps executed included:

Doorstep waste collection post segregation
Engaging NGOs to encourage household compliance
Building treatment plants for legacy and fresh waste
Procuring vehicles with compartmentalized collection

This professionalized the process while also providing employment to previous informal garbage pickers.

Curbing Public Littering

The IMC cracked down on public spitting, urination and littering through penalties, with even the Mayor personally intervening at times. It also distributed free dustbins.

Constructing Toilets

Authorities surveyed areas lacking sufficient public conveniences, constructing additional community and household toilet facilities.

Sustaining First Position

A mix of administrative commitment, technological upgrades, and civic participation has enabled Indore to consolidate its reputation as India’s cleanest urban center year after year since 2017.

Sustaining Momentum

As the Swachh Survekshan scope expands annually, sustaining cleanliness momentum over the long term across small and big cities equally remains vital alongside technical metrics. Committed leadership and reliable funding transforming civic conditions can nurture hygienic, liveable urban habitats across India.

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