Why in the News?
Recently, the President of India conferred the Swachh Survekshan Awards for 2023.
Key Highlights of the 2023 AwardsÂ
- Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat (Gujarat) were declared as the Cleanest Cities in India (Rank 1) followed by Navi Mumbai (Maharastra) (Rank 3).Â
- Indore has been declared as the cleanest city for the 7th consecutive time.Â
- In cities with less than 1 Lakh population, Sasvad (Maharastra), Patan (Gujarat) and Lonavala (Maharastra) secured the top three spots.Â
- Maharashtra was named the cleanest state in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.Â
- Mhow (Madhya Pradesh) was selected as the cleanest cantonment board followed by Deolali (Maharashtra) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat).Â
- Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) was declared the cleanest Ganga town followed by Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh)Â
- Chandigarh was declared as the Best Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher
About Swachh Survekshan AwardsÂ
- About: Swachh Survekshan is a survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India.Â
- Launch: In 2016 under the ambit of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). • Institutions involved: The survey is conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).Â
- Objective: To encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness about the importance of making towns and cities a better place to live.Â
- 2023 assessment: It was conducted in 4 phases for the first time in 4477 cities and the total marks increased to 9500 from 7500 (2022’s survey).Â
