Indore and Surat have been declared the ‘cleanest cities’ in India, securing the first and second positions, respectively, in the Central government’s annual cleanliness survey. Navi Mumbai retained its hold on the third position in this prestigious ranking.
In the ‘best-performing states’ category of the ‘Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023,’ Maharashtra claimed the top spot, with Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh following closely behind.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at a ceremony held in the presence of Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and other dignitaries. Indore, renowned for its consistent efforts, secured the cleanest city title for the seventh consecutive year.
The survey also recognized Sasvad in Maharashtra as the cleanest city among those with a population of less than 1 lakh. In this category, Patan in Chhattisgarh and Lonavala in Maharashtra secured the second and third positions, respectively.
The accolades extended to Varanasi, acknowledged as the best and cleanest Ganga town, followed by Prayagraj in the same category.
Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh claimed the top rank in the cleanest cantonment boards category.
With Varanasi recognized as the best Ganga town, Prayagraj closely followed suit.
Highlighting the massive scale of the survey, the data reveals the participation of 4,447 urban local bodies in Swachh Survekshan 2023, with an impressive 12 core citizen responses received. The government proudly asserts that this survey stands as the world’s largest cleanliness assessment.
Nithin Rosh 
Nisham Ismail