Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir has been named country’s ‘Best Swachh Iconic Place’.

• The Rankings of Swachh Iconic Places was released by Union ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• The Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine has been adjudged on basis of overall improvement in sanitation brought about by board due to several initiatives taken in last few years to ensure cleanliness of entire shrine area.

The shrine competed with many other iconic places in country including:

Church and Convent of St Francis of Assissi (Goa), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Maharashtra), Tirupati Temple (Andhra Pradesh), Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh), Golden Temple (Punjab), Kamakhya Temple (Assam), Jagannath Puri (Odisha), Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan), among others.