Context:
The Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023 ceremony, hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, witnessed the President of India presenting accolades for urban cleanliness. Indore and Surat jointly earned the cleanest city title, marking a significant achievement in sanitation efforts. Maharashtra claimed the top spot among states, highlighting its commitment to maintaining cleanliness in urban areas.
Relevance:
GS II: Government policies and Interventions
Dimensions of the Article:
- Survekshan Overview
- Major Highlights of Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023
Survekshan Overview:
- Conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) since 2016.
- World’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
- Encourages healthy competition among towns and cities to enhance service delivery and cleanliness.
Major Highlights of Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023:
Participation and Coverage:
- Survey covered 4,416 urban local bodies, 61 cantonments, and 88 Ganga towns.
- Reflects an increasing number of participating cities each year.
City Rankings:
- Indore retained the cleanest city title for the 7th consecutive year.
- Surat claimed the top spot, marking the first instance of two cities sharing the top prize since 2016.
- Both cities achieved 100% door-to-door waste collection, 98% source segregation, and 100% remediation of dumpsites.
- Navi Mumbai secured the third cleanest city position.
Evaluation Parameters:
- Factors considered in rankings included door-to-door waste collection, source segregation, cleanliness of public areas, clean water bodies, and citizens’ feedback on city cleanliness.
Cleanest State Award:
- Maharashtra received the cleanest state award.
- Achieved 89.24% door-to-door waste collection and 67.76% source segregation.
- Madhya Pradesh secured the second position in state cleanliness rankings.
Bottom Five States:
- Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Nagaland, and Tripura ranked as the bottom five states in terms of cleanliness.
Specialized Awards:
- Chandigarh received the Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar award for the best safety standards for sanitation workers.
- Varanasi recognized as the cleanest Ganga town.
- Sasvad in Maharashtra earned the cleanest city title among those with a population below 1 lakh.
- Mhow Cantonment declared the cleanest cantonment in the country.
-Source: The Hindu
