News: Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the results of Swachh Survekshan 2020.
Facts:
- Swachh Survekshan: It is an annual cleanliness survey of urban India conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban(SBM-U).
- Objectives: a) To encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness about cleanliness b) inculcate a spirit of healthy competition among cities and towns towards creating cleaner cities/towns.
Key Takeaways:
- India’s Cleanest cities: Indore(MP) followed by Surat(Gujarat) and Navi Mumbai(Maharashtra).
- Best States: Chhattisgarh was the best-performing state with over 100 ULBs.On the other hand, Jharkhand was the best performing state with less than 100 ULBs.
- Ganga Towns: Varanasi has been awarded the cleanest town award along the banks of river Ganga.
- Cleanest Capital city: New Delhi has been awarded as the cleanest capital city in the country.
- Cantonment Board: Jalandhar Cantonment Board was conferred the cleanest cantonment board in the country.
Additional Facts:
- Swachh Survekshan 2021: The 2021 survey will focus on parameters pertaining to wastewater treatment, reuse along with faecal sludge. legacy of waste management, remediation of landfills among others.
- Prerak Daaur Samman: It is a new category of awards which will be announced as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.
- The award has a total of five additional sub- categories -Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) – with top three cities being recognized in each.