Indore: Indore, long regarded as India's cleanest city, failed to secure a place in the top three of the Clean City League as the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 results were announced in New Delhi on Wednesday, ending its long winning streak at the national level. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the national awards at a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan. The results follow the November 9 announcement that the President would present this year's Swachh Survekshan awards on November 11.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press
Navi Mumbai claimed the first position in the Clean City League, followed by Surat in second place and Vijayawada in third, according to the results. Indore, which had consistently topped the rankings for several years, figured among the super league cities but dropped out of the podium positions.
Madhya Pradesh performed strongly overall, securing the highest number of national awards among all states, with nine of its cities receiving honours: Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Sagar, Dewas, Budhni and Depalpur.
Source: The Newsman of India
Jabalpur emerged as a standout performer, securing the second position among cities with a population of over 10 lakh, behind Visakhapatnam in first place and ahead of Lucknow in third. Gwalior also found a place among the top 10 cleanest cities in the country, while Ujjain and Dewas topped their respective smaller-city population categories.
Indore and its mentor city Depalpur jointly secured the second place in the Clean City Pair category, also referred to as the Super Swachh Jodi or Swachh Shehar Jodi award, under which Indore mentored the smaller town on waste collection, segregation and scientific treatment of legacy waste.
Bhopal draws a blank
In contrast, the state capital Bhopal failed to win any award this year, and Berasia, the municipal council mentored by Bhopal, also went without recognition. Officials noted that the legacy waste dump at Adampur and ongoing challenges in waste management continue to affect Bhopal's performance. In the previous ranking, Bhopal had been adjudged the second cleanest city in India.
This year's survey evaluated 4,909 cities across the country on 43 parameters, including door-to-door waste collection, segregation of wet and dry waste, transportation of garbage, cleanliness of public spaces, sanitation facilities and citizen feedback. The awards were presented in the presence of Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu.