The stage is set for the eighth edition of the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, unveiling the cleanest cities of urban India.

President Droupadi Murmu will bestow the honour upon the winners of Swachh Survekshan, in a national event organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at Bharat Mandapam, on January 11.

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The event will see over 110 awards being presented under various categories. The national category alone will have more than 20 awards. Additionally, states will also be recognised and awarded for their performances in various categories.

Swachh Survekshan (SS) has generated a sense of healthy competition among cities, motivating them to enhance urban sanitation and provide better services to their residents. Starting with a modest evaluation of 73 major cities in 2016 and extending its outreach to 4,477 cities in the current edition, the magnitude of Swachh Survekshan has increased exponentially.

This year, the clean city awards prioritises 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.

The survey’s emphasis on citizen engagement and feedback has been instrumental in its success. Overall, the survey covered a population of around 409 million. A staggering 12 crore citizen responses were received during the assessment this year, marking an unprecedented level of engagement through various channels.

An exciting array of latest technologies and equipment in waste management will be displayed at Bharat Mandapam on 11 January. Mechanical sweeping machines, sewage cleaning robots, waste collection and transport vehicles will garner the attention of the visitors at the venue of the SwachhSurvekshan awards. Not just this, one can also buy products created out of waste in the exhibition! Colourful stalls will be put up by Self Help Groups, who will be selling their creations made out of waste. The ceremony will be a paperless and zero-waste event.

The award ceremony will be graced by over 3,000 participants, including Urban Development Ministers, Mayors from various parts of the country, State and city administrators, sector partners, subject experts, youth organisations, industry representatives, startups in the sanitation and waste management sector, academic institutions, NGOs, CSOs, Safai Mitras, Self Help Groups etc.