The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred Swachh Survekshan awards 2023 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). 13 awardees received felicitations under categories of Clean Cities, Cleanest Cantonment, SafaiMitra Suraksha, Ganga Towns and Best Performing State were given away. This year the cleanest city award showcased joint winners. Port city Surat bagged the top honours, alongside Indore, who had conquered the top spot alone for 6 consecutive years. In the category of cities with a population of less than 1 lakh, Sasvad, Patan and Lonavala secured the top three spots. Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged the Cleanest Cantonment Board. Varanasi and Prayagraj won the top two awards amongst the Cleanest Ganga Towns. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh won the top three awards for Best Performing State.  Chandigarh walked away with the award for the Best Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher. 110 awards were bestowed during the ceremony.

President of India launched the Swachh Survekshan 2023 dashboard. Speaking at the event, the President said, “When everyone contributes to and participates in Swachh Survekshan, it’s an important step forward. Praising the States and ULBs for their performance in Swachh Survekshan, she said, “The theme for the year 2023 “Waste to Wealth” is an important topic to ponder upon. I would like to say that wealth should be created out of waste as that will help the overall cleanliness. Cleanliness has to be made divine process. The G20 Leaders’ Delhi Declaration has committed to “enhance environmentally sound waste management and substantially reduce waste generation by 2030 and highlight the importance of zero waste initiatives.” The Hon’ble President appreciated that all States, ULBs, citizens are moving ahead on the path of prosperity through cleanliness and are creating self-reliance through the Mission. Highlighting SafaiMitra Suraksha, the President said,” I am immensely happy to know that effective steps are being taken to ensure SafaiMitra safety, dignity and well-being. “ Emphasizing the importance of circular economy, she added, “It is highly commendable that in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, circular waste management is being followed and the circular economy process of recycling and reusing more and more items is proving helpful for sustainable development.” Hon’ble President urged all to be swachhata doots and spread awareness. I am happy to know that all of you have set the theme of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle for Cleanliness Survey 2024.”

Speaking at the occasion, Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “Today every city in India is ODF. This became possible because SBM went from a govt programme to becoming a Jan Andolan. The mission is a testimony to the vision of Antodaya se Sarvodaya.” Highlighting the achievements of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Union Minister specified that in 2014 there was only 15-16% scientific processing of waste, while today the number is almost 76%, in next 2 to 3 years, 100% will be achieved. By the end of this mission we will have fully transitioned from manhole to machine hole. SBM has brought about a considerable behavioural change amongst people. Speaking on Swachh Survekshan, he added “Swachh Survekshan has integrated strict process and discipline among cities in terms of Swachhata. From modest beginnings in 2016, today the Swachh Survekshan has evolved into the world’s largest annual survey. SS has fostered healthy competition among cities and is a robust third-party assessment.”

Welcoming the delegates at the award ceremony, Secretary, MoHUA, Shri Manoj Joshi said, “There’s been a lot of visible transformation in terms of Swachhata in the last 9 years. There is toilet everywhere and for everyone. We have cleaned up 90% of the country, need to clean up the remaining 10%.” He emphasized on the uniqueness of Swachh Surveshan 2023, highlighting how it was developed with the principle of Waste to Wealth in mind, aligning with SBM-U 2.0's objective of fostering circularity in waste management and harnessing the potential of extracting value from waste. Starting with a modest evaluation of 73 major cities in 2016 and extending its outreach to 4477 cities in the current edition, the magnitude of Swachh Survekshan has increased exponentially. This year, the clean city awards prioritize addressing legacy dumpsites, managing plastic waste, implementing the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and ensuring the safety of SafaiMitras. SS 2023 focused on transforming waste into valuable resources and was evaluated by a team of over 3,000 assessors.

20 zonal awards were bestowed upon medium and small cities. Check out the winners list, GFC & ODF results dashboard here.

The 9 years of Swachh Bharat Mission and the spirit of swachhata was reinvigorated in the presence of the Hon’ble President, through an audio visual presentation highlighting Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath campaign and the release of the Swachh Bharat Mission Anthem for 2024. Playback singer, Kailash Kher has lent his voice to the anthem 'Naya Sankalp Hai, Naya Prakalp Hai'.

The most awaited award ceremony of the year was convened in the presence of over 3000 guests. The guest list boasted of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Mohan Yadav, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Vishnu Deo Sai , Deputy CM and UAD Minister Shri Arjun Sao, Minister of Urban Development of Madhya Pradesh Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, Shri Arvind Kumar Sharma, Minister of UD from Uttar Pradesh. Mayors from various parts of the country, State and city administrators, sector partners, subject experts, youth organizations, industry representatives, startups in the sanitation and waste management sector, academic institutions, NGOs, CSOs, SafaiMitras, Self Help Groups etc. were also in attendance. Watch the award ceremony here.

Padmashri Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team enthralled the audience with a live sand art creation capturing the journey, milestones and the spirit of Swachh Bharat. Another major attraction of the event was the colourful stalls put up by the Self Help Group members, who were selling handicraft, artwork, artifacts and other products made out of waste. The stalls showcased products ranging from upcycled cloth bags to banana leaves showpieces, from bamboo products to jewelery made out of waste. There was more in store! An exhibition displaying latest technologies and equipments in waste management grabbed the attention of the visitors. From mechanical sweeping machines to sewage cleaning robots, from waste collection and transport vehicles to state-of-the art robots, the exhibition boasted of robust machines and helped various cities explore the possibilities of usage.

The award ceremony served as a platform for cities and citizens to recommit themselves to the goal of achieving Garbage Free cities, with renewed determination and enthusiasm.

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RKJ/M