• President Droupadi Murmu to present the awards on November 11 in New Delhi.
• The 10th edition covers more than 4,751 cities.
• Over 3,000 assessors conducted evaluations across 43 indicators.
• Swachh Shehar Jodi mentee cities report improvements in key cleanliness parameters.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th Nov: The Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on November 11 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, recognising the cleanest cities across the country for their performance under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu will also attend the ceremony.

The 10th edition of the annual cleanliness assessment was conducted under the theme ‘Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath’. The awards recognise the efforts of urban local bodies and states in improving sanitation, waste management and public cleanliness.

The survey has expanded considerably since its launch in 2016, when 73 urban local bodies were assessed. Its latest edition covers more than 4,751 cities.

This year’s assessment introduced greater emphasis on citizen feedback, urban riverfronts, coastlines and water bodies. It also included indicators covering open defecation and urination prevention, cleanliness at tourist and heritage sites, and behaviour-change initiatives in schools.

Urban local bodies were evaluated across 43 indicators covering 10 assessment areas, including waste segregation, collection and transportation, solid waste management, visible cleanliness, sanitation access, used water management and sanitation workers’ welfare.

More than 3,000 trained assessors conducted field evaluations, supported by GPS-enabled monitoring. The assessment process included digital evidence submission, verification and quality checks.

Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative
The awards will also recognise top-performing cities under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative, which connects 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities across 33 states and Union Territories.

Launched on September 27, 2025, the programme aims to strengthen urban waste management through mentorship and peer learning.

The latest assessment recorded improvements among mentee cities across several cleanliness indicators compared with Swachh Survekshan 2024. Visible cleanliness increased from 48 per cent to 70 per cent, while door-to-door waste collection rose from 52 per cent to 74 per cent.

Source segregation improved from 16 per cent to 30 per cent, access to sanitation from 11 per cent to 38 per cent, used water management from 32 per cent to 53 per cent, and advocacy for cleanliness from 48 per cent to 66 per cent.

The award ceremony on November 11 will announce the top-performing cities after a year of assessments and efforts by urban local bodies across the country.