Gandhinagar, Nov 11 (IANS) Three cities – Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara – in Gujarat have received recognition for their performance in urban cleanliness under the ‘Swachh Survekshan 2025-26’, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said in a post on social media platform X.
Surat was recognised in the National Clean City category for its commitment to cleanliness and urban sanitation, while Ahmedabad secured the Rank 1 Mentor City position under the ‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ initiative, with Sanand designated as its mentee city.
Vadodara was recognised as the state’s first Swachh City for its performance in urban cleanliness. The recognitions were announced on the day President Droupadi Murmu presented the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
The awards mark the 10th edition of the national cleanliness survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
Ahmedabad and Sanand secured the top position nationally in the Swachh Shehar Jodi category, which recognises collaboration between mentor and mentee cities to improve urban sanitation and waste management.
Ahmedabad was paired with Sanand to share technical expertise and best practices in areas such as waste segregation, solid waste management, wastewater management and sanitation services.
The initiative, launched in September 2025, was designed to encourage better-performing urban local bodies to guide cities with relatively weaker sanitation performance.
The latest assessment covered 70 mentor cities and 191 mentee cities across 33 states and Union Territories.
The 2025-26 survey assessed urban local bodies on 43 indicators across 10 key areas, including waste segregation, door-to-door collection, solid waste management, visible cleanliness, access to sanitation, used water management and the welfare of sanitation workers.
More than 3,000 assessors conducted field evaluations, supported by GPS-enabled monitoring and a digital verification process. Around 2.70 crore citizens provided feedback during this edition.
Reacting to the recognition, Sanghavi said: “When citizens lead, and Swachhata Doots serve, cities shine!”
He attributed the achievements to the collective participation of citizens, the efforts of Swachhata Doots and sanitation workers, and the dedication of urban local bodies.
–IANS
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