Swachh Survekshan 2024–25

Context : The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released the results of the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, India's largest urban sanitation survey. This year introduced several new categories to promote inclusivity and competitiveness among cities of all sizes.

Key Highlights:

• Cleanest Big City (10+ lakh population):

  • 1st – Ahmedabad

  • 2nd – Bhopal

  • 3rd – Lucknow

• Super Swachh League (Million-Plus Cities with Sustained Excellence):

  • Included cities like Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Vijayawada, etc.

• 3–10 Lakh Population Category:

  • 1st – Mira-Bhayandar (Maharashtra)

  • 2nd – Bilaspur (Madhya Pradesh)

  • 3rd – Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)

• Best Ganga Town: Prayagraj

• Best Cantonment Board: Secunderabad Cantonment

• Best SaifaiMitra Surakshit Shehar (Safe and dignified conditions for sanitation workers):

  • Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, Gorakhpur

• Special Recognition:

  • UP Government, Prayagraj Mela Authority, and Prayagraj Municipal Corporation were awarded for waste management during Maha Kumbh (attended by 66 crore people).

Innovative Categories Introduced:

• “Swachh Shahar” (Clean City) award for population-based rankings.

• “Promising Swachh Shehars” (One City, One Award):
  Recognized 34 top-performing cities from each State/UT for cleanliness achievements.

Participation & Public Engagement:

• 14 crore citizens participated via:

  • Swachhata App

  • MyGov platform

  • Social media & face-to-face feedback

• Covered 4,500+ cities.

3R Approach & Circular Economy Focus:

• Promoted the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" (3R) model.

• Emphasis on waste-to-wealth and circular economy.

• President Droupadi Murmu highlighted “Waste is best” as a national development mantra.

UPSC Syllabus :

• Themes: Urban Governance, Sanitation, Public Participation, Federalism in Practice, Urban Innovation.

• Schemes: Linked to Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-6: Clean Water and Sanitation).

• Ethics Linkage (GS-IV): Dignity of labour, citizen-centric governance.