Cleanliness Survey: Indore Retains Top Ranking for Eighth Time, Wins Super Swachh League Title

Indore was declared India's cleanest city for the 8th year in a row. It topped the new Super Swachh League Cities category as part of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, which ranked 4,500 cities nationwide.

Indore has once again been named India's cleanest city, winning the top award for the eighth time in a row. This time, it was also declared the cleanest in a new special category called 'Super Swachh League Cities'.

President Droupadi Murmu gave out the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards during a ceremony held on Thursday. The event marked the announcement of India’s top-performing cities in terms of cleanliness and sanitation.

What is the Super Swachh League category?

This year, the government introduced a new category called the Super Swachh League. It includes cities that have consistently ranked in the top positions over the last few years. To qualify, a city must have:

• Been in the top three at least once in the last three years
• Ranked in the top 20% in its population category this year

Indore won this new award while Surat, Navi Mumbai and Vijayawada followed behind.

Other clean cities across categories

Apart from Indore, other cities also stood out:

• Surat was ranked second overall.
• Navi Mumbai took the third spot.

In specific population categories:

• Noida was the cleanest among cities with 3 to 10 lakh people
• New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) topped the 50,000 to 3 lakh population category
• Vita (Maharashtra) led in the 20,000 to 50,000 category
• Panchgani was named the cleanest city among towns with less than 20,000 people
• Swachh Survekshan: India’s biggest cleanliness survey

The Swachh Survekshan is held every year as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban. It began in 2016 with just 73 cities. This year, over 4,500 cities were ranked, making it the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey.

Key facts from this year's survey:

• Over 3,000 surveyors assessed cities
• Inspections lasted 45 days
• Over 11 lakh households were visited
• Around 14 crore people were involved through apps, websites and social media

How cities were judged

The cities were judged based on:

• 10 clearly defined parameters
• 54 different indicators
• These covered areas like:
• Waste collection
• Waste processing
• Clean public spaces
• Community involvement
• Service delivery

Officials said that the focus this year was on being transparent, smart, and inclusive.

Government's aim behind the survey

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the main aim of Swachh Survekshan is to:

• Get people involved in making cities clean
• Encourage healthy competition among cities
• Raise awareness about proper sanitation and hygiene

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, MoS Tokhan Sahu and MoHUA Secretary Srinivas K attended the awards ceremony and praised the efforts made by cities across the country.

Indore's clean record shows how regular efforts and strong public participation can bring real change. Winning the top spot for the eighth time proves the city's strong commitment to cleanliness.

As India works towards cleaner and safer cities, the Swachh Survekshan continues to play a big role in encouraging better urban living for all.

(With inputs from agencies)