The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, today launched the toolkit for 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, in its new avatar–simpler, sharper, systematic and all-inclusive.
Secretary, MoHUA, Shri S. Katikithala was also present at the launch event. The launch was attended by JS & MD, SBM-U, Ms. Roopa Mishra, ACS, Principal Secretaries of Urban Development, State Mission Directors, Municipal Commissioners representatives from various States and Urban Local Bodies and officials from the MoHUA.
Initially launched by MoHUA in 2016, Swachh Survekshan drives urban sanitation improvement through citizen participation and third-party validation. For the year 2024, a special category - Super Swachh League has been introduced creating a separate league of cities excelling in cleanliness.
The cities who have been in top 3 in at least 2 years in the last 3 years (2021-2023) have made the cut. There are 12 cities in the Super Swachh League. Moving ahead, top 3 ranking cities in each population category will move into the league for the subsequent years.
ULBs in this league will be assessed on additional aspirational indicators and must maintain a score of 85% or higher to retain their position.
Cities in 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, New Delhi Municipal Council
Big Cities (3 – 10 Lakh population) – Noida, Chandigarh
Million Plus Cities (> 10 Lakh population) - Navi Mumbai, Indore, Surat
Speaking at the launch of the new toolkit for Swachh Survekshan, the Union Minister said, “To acknowledge the exceptional performance of cities in Swachh Survekshan, we are introducing the ‘Super Swachh League’, a competition among the cleanest cities.
This reflects our shared commitment to cleanliness, and our continuous innovation keeps the Swachh Bharat Mission a global success even after 10 years. Our focus is on improving quality year after year, with simplified evaluation parameters that ensure clearer data from ULBs and maintain full transparency.
This approach strengthens the mission’s reputation and drives ongoing progress in urban cleanliness. Highlighting the impact of Swachh Survekshan, Secretary, MoHUA, Shri S. Katikithala said, “Swachh Survekshan stands as a remarkable testament to collaboration and collective responsibility, reflecting the nation’s commitment to making cleanliness a way of life.
The introduction of the Super Swachh League in this year’s survey serves dual purposes: it encourages top-performing cities to strive for higher aspirational standards, while also motivating other cities to improve and aim for top ranks.”
Again, for the very first time, the cities have been classified into 5 population categories: Very Small, Small, Medium, Big, and Million-Plus. Each category will be assessed based on population and parameters tailored to its specific size and needs.
Awards will be given to clean cities in each category. This makes the new Swachh Survekshan inclusive. Even Small Cities will be able to showcase their excellence along with the usual stalwarts like Indore and Surat.
This year, Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) and adopting Swabhav Swachhata Sanskaar Swachhata – behaviour change in daily lives, have been included in the assessment. The evaluation will focus on key parameters such as eliminating difficult and dark spots, visible cleanliness, establishing Reduce Reuse Recycle Centres, and more.
To foster the integration of swachhata values in educational institutions and inspire young minds to adopt cleanliness and sustainability, school assessments have been introduced this year as part of SS. Special focus has been laid on visible cleanliness and waste management at high foot fall tourist spots.
Packaged in a new framework, all indicators in the new SS toolkit have been organized into 10 buckets, with assessment parameters simplified for better understanding by the ULBs. These are: – i) Visible Cleanliness ii) Segregation, collection & transportation of waste iii) Solid waste management iv) Access to sanitation v) Used water management vi) Mechanization of desludging services vii) Advocacy for Swachhata viii) Strengthening of Eco-system & institutional parameters ix) Overall welfare of sanitation workers x) Citizen feedback and grievance redressal.
Furthermore, the implementation of projects approved by MoHUA will be closely monitored to ensure their timely and effective execution. Data accuracy will be verified, and inputs from ULBs will be tracked. In the event of any discrepancies or mismatch in the data, stringent penalties will be enforced.
For quality assurance, MoHUA implements comprehensive measures including training for on-field teams, surprise field visits, the use of non-resident city assessors, two levels of evidence quality checks, GPS tracking of assessor movements, a grievance redressal mechanism for ULBs, a dedicated assessor monitoring cell, and IT base through the Swachhatam Portal.
The last and final phase of Swachh Survekshan - Field Assessment for the 9th edition will commence on 15th Feb., 2025 and will be completed by the end of March 2025