Context: Recently, the President of India has announced the Swachh Survekshan, 2022 rankings.

• Telangana won the first prize under the Large States category under Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG) 2022 followed by Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

About Swachh Survekshan Awards

• Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India. 

• It was launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which aimed to make India clean and free of open defecation by 2nd October 2019. 

• The first survey was undertaken in 2016.

• Conducted by:  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) with Quality Council of India (QCI) as its implementation partner.

• Parameters: The cities have been ranked based on three broad parameters — service level progress, citizen’s voice and certification.

What are the key Swachh Survekshan Awards given?

• Population above 1 lakh: Indore has been ranked the cleanest city in India for the sixth consecutive year. Surat and Navi Mumbai were ranked as the second and third-cleanest cities.

• Population below 1 lakh: Panchgani and Karad from Maharashtra bagged the first and third positions respectively, while Patan from Chhattisgarh bagged the second position.

• The Cleanest States with more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs): Madhya Pradesh emerged as the ‘Cleanest State.’

• Cleanest state award in the less than 100 ULBs category: Tripura emerged as the Cleanest State in this category.

• Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities: Indore further cemented its position by emerging as India’s first 7-star Garbage Free city, while Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, Navi Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, and Tirupati earned 5-star Garbage Free certifications.

What is Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG)?

• This award ranks States and districts on the basis of their performance attained on Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G).

What are the key Swachh Survekshan Gramin given?

• Large States category: Telangana was ranked first for the cleanliness of its villages. Haryana was placed second followed by Tamil Nadu.

• Smaller States and Union Territories category: Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Sikkim.