Reinforcing its reputation as India\’s cleanliness capital, Indore was on Thursday declared the cleanest city among “Super Swachh League Cities” by President Droupadi Murmu, as the results of the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards were officially announced.
Indore also clinched the top spot in the one-million-plus population category, followed by Surat, Navi Mumbai, and Vijayawada. The recognition marks yet another feather in the cap for the Madhya Pradesh city, which has consistently ranked first in the national cleanliness rankings since 2017.
New “Super League” Category Introduced
This year’s awards introduced the “Super Swachh League Cities” category for the first time, bringing together top-performing cities in a new elite tier. In the last edition of the awards, announced in January 2024, Indore shared the top rank with Surat, marking the latter’s comeback from its past struggles as a plague-affected city.
Indore, known for its robust waste segregation, door-to-door garbage collection, and active citizen participation, continues to lead the way in India’s urban sanitation movement.
Top Cities in Other Categories
Cities with 3–10 lakh population: Noida
Cities with 50,000–3 lakh population: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)
Cities with 20,000–50,000 population: Vita (Maharashtra)
Cities with less than 20,000 population: Panchgani (Maharashtra)
A Pan-India Exercise in Sanitation
Organised under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the Swachh Survekshan awards are touted as the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey.
From just 73 cities in 2016, this year’s assessment covered a record 4,500 urban local bodies across the country.
“More than 3,000 assessors inspected every ward over a span of 45 days,” a government statement said, adding that over 11 lakh households were assessed to ensure inclusivity and transparency.
Indore’s Winning Formula
Experts credit Indore’s consistent success to:
Decentralized waste management
Strong municipal leadership
Active citizen awareness campaigns
Public-private partnerships in sanitation efforts
The city’s clean track record has made it a model for urban development and hygiene across India.
