Swachh Survekshan 2024-2025 Awards : India’s Cleanest Cities, Revamped Survey, and Way Forward

Revamped Survey Framework: 

• Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 introduced major reforms to ensure fairness and inclusivity. 

• Cities are now classified in five population categories (Very Small, Small, Medium, Big, Million-Plus), enabling equitable comparison across similarly sized urban areas.

Super Swachh League: 

• A new Super Swachh League (SSL) was created for consistently high-performing cities. 

• Top cities that had placed in the top three for at least two of the last three years were exempted from normal rankings and assessed on aspirational criteria. Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai again topped this league as the cleanest cities in the country allowing newer cities to vie for top spots.

Awards and Recognition: 

• A total of 78 national awards were conferred across various categories, including cities, cantonments, and institutions. 

• Notable recognitions included 34 Promising Swachh Shehars (state-level top performers) and special awards for initiatives like waste management during the Kumbh Mela Prominent awards included Best Ganga Town (Prayagraj) and Best Cantonment Board (Secunderabad).

Assessment Parameters: 

• Cities were evaluated on a comprehensive set of 10 parameters 

  • covering visible cleanliness, 

  • waste segregation and processing, 

  • sanitation infrastructure, 

  • water and wastewater management, 

  • mechanized faecal sludge handling, 

  • advocacy for cleanliness, 

  • institutional effectiveness, 

  • sanitation worker welfare, 

  • and citizen feedback.

• A new scoring scale (12,500 points, up from 9,500) was adopted, reflecting additional metrics like cleanliness of roads, drains, and public spaces.

Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation: 

• An Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation Program was announced to fast-track the clean-up of legacy landfills and expand scientific waste processing capacity. 

• This one-year initiative (from August 15, 2025) aims to clear toxic dumpsites and unlock urban land for development, directly supporting the garbage-free city vision.

Citizen Participation and 3R Principle: 

• The survey emphasized citizen feedback and the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R). 

• The President praised cities for integrating the 3R mantra, transforming waste into wealth and generating green jobs. 

• Initiatives like school-level cleanliness assessments and zero-waste colonies were highlighted to inculcate clean habits in youth and communities. 

• The integration of citizen surveys ensures that residents' voices influence city rankings, promoting accountability.

Super Swachh League cities (2024–25) by population category. Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai lead the million-plus category, and other top performers in each category are shown. For example, Noida and Chandigarh appear in the 3–10 lakh category.