The 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, was concluded with President Droupadi Murmu conferring awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The 2025 theme focused on the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R)” principle and circular economy.
I. Top Cleanest Cities (Million-Plus Category)
For the first time, Ahmedabad has been declared the cleanest city in the category of cities with a population of over 10 lakh.
| Rank | City | State | Score (out of 12,500) |
| 1 | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 12,079 |
| 2 | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 12,067 |
| 3 | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 12,001 |
II. The “Super Swachh League” (SSL)
A new elite category introduced in 2024–25 to recognise cities with sustained excellence (those ranking in the top three at least once in the last three years).
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- Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Retained its title as India’s cleanest city for the 8th consecutive year, but was elevated to the SSL.
- Other Inductees: Surat (Gujarat), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh).
- Significance: These cities serve as “benchmarks” and were not ranked alongside the general categories to allow “new clean cities” to emerge.
III. Special Category Awards
- Best Ganga Town: Prayagraj (UP).
- Best Cantonment Board: Secunderabad Cantonment.
- Cleanest State: Uttar Pradesh (for overall urban sanitation efforts).
- SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar: Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur (honoured for the safety and dignity of sanitation workers).
- Special Recognition: Awarded to Prayagraj for managing waste during the Maha Kumbh 2025 (66 crore footfall).
IV. Key Innovations & Initiatives
- Swachh City Partnership: A “mentor-mentee” program where 78 top cities will each guide one underperforming city.
- Accelerated Dumpsite Remediation: A one-year mission starting August 15, 2025, to clear legacy waste and reclaim urban land.
- Citizen Engagement: A record-breaking 14.6 crore citizens participated in the survey.
V. Ahmedabad’s Success Drivers
- Daily door-to-door collection from 25 lakh properties.
- Transformation of the Pirana dumpsite into refuse-derived fuel.
- Mapping of 43,000+ points of interest for mechanical sweeping.