Context: The Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023, announced on January 11, 2024, by the President of India, recognize achievements in urban sanitation and cleanliness across 4,500 cities through a survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 46 indicators, supporting the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission.

About the SwachhSurvekshan Awards  2023

• Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023, A flagship initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2016.

• A competitive framework: It has evolved into the world's largest urban sanitation survey.

• The primary aim: Primarily it is focused on large scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society, it is governed through the theSwachh Bharat Mission (Urban).

• Important Themes/Indicator: Phased reduction of plastic, effective processing of plastic waste, promotion of waste-to-wonder parks, and the organization of zero-waste events,

• Waste Management: It includes  source segregation of waste, increasing cities' waste processing capacity to match generation, and reducing waste sent to dumpsites.

• The ranking of wards within cities is now integral to the survey. Furthermore, the assessment will consider specific indicators related to issues like 'Open Urination' (Yellow Spots) and 'Open Spitting' (Red Spots) faced by cities.

Key Highlights of the Awards Ceremony

Cleanest Cities

• Surat (Gujarat) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh) jointly bagged the top spot as the cleanest cities in India. This is the seventh consecutive time that Indore has won this award, while Surat has improved its rank from second to first this year. Both cities have shown exemplary performance in waste management, sanitation, and citizen engagement.

Cleanest City (population less than 1 lakh)

• Saswad (Maharashtra) won the award for the cleanest city among urban centres with a population of less than 1 lakh. Patan (Chhattisgarh) and Lonavala (Maharashtra) were the second and third runners-up, respectively.

Ganga Towns

• Varanasi and Prayagraj won the top two awards among the Cleanest Ganga Towns, emphasizing the importance of maintaining cleanliness in areas surrounding the Ganga River.

Best Performing State

• Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh won the top three awards for Best Performing State, recognizing their comprehensive efforts in promoting cleanliness.

Safai Mitra Suraksha

• Chandigarh walked away with the award for the Best Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher, acknowledging initiatives that prioritize the safety, dignity, and well-being of sanitation workers.

President's Emphasis on Waste Management

• The President highlighted the theme for the year 2023, "Waste to Wealth," and stressed the importance of creating wealth from waste. She connected this theme with the G20 Leaders' Delhi Declaration commitment to environmentally sound waste management and substantial waste reduction by 2030.

Circular Economy and Sustainability

• The President commended the adoption of circular waste management in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The focus on recycling and reusing items aligns with the principles of sustainable development.

Swachh Survekshan Dashboard Launch

• The President launched the Swachh Survekshan 2023 dashboard, emphasizing the importance of everyone's contribution to and participation in the survey.