Swachh Survekshan 2025-26: Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara win cleanliness honours
Synopsis
Gujarat scored a rare triple at the 10th Swachh Survekshan — Surat as a National Clean City, Ahmedabad as the Rank 1 Mentor City nationally under the new Swachh Shehar Jodi framework, and Vadodara as the state's first recognised Swachh City. With 2.70 crore citizens participating in feedback, the survey's scale is now nearly as notable as the rankings themselves.
Key Takeaways
Surat was recognised in the National Clean City category at the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards.
Ahmedabad secured Rank 1 nationally in the Swachh Shehar Jodi category, paired with Sanand as its mentee city.
Vadodara was named Gujarat's first Swachh City under the survey.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 11 November 2025 .
The survey — its 10th edition — assessed 43 indicators across urban local bodies, with feedback from around 2.70 crore citizens .
The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative, launched in September 2025 , covered 70 mentor cities and 191 mentee cities across 33 states and UTs .
Three Gujarat cities — Surat, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara — received national recognition for urban cleanliness at the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu presented the honours. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi announced the achievements in a post on social media platform X, calling it a testament to citizen-led sanitation efforts across the state.
What Each City Won
Surat was recognised under the National Clean City category, acknowledging its sustained commitment to cleanliness and urban sanitation. Ahmedabad secured the Rank 1 Mentor City position under the 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' initiative, paired with Sanand as its designated mentee city — together claiming the top national slot in that category. Vadodara, meanwhile, was recognised as the state's first Swachh City for its performance in urban cleanliness, marking a milestone for the city in Gujarat's sanitation journey.
About the Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative
Launched in September 2025, the Swachh Shehar Jodi programme pairs better-performing urban local bodies with cities that have relatively weaker sanitation records. Ahmedabad shared technical expertise with Sanand across domains including waste segregation, solid waste management, wastewater treatment, and sanitation services. The initiative covered 70 mentor cities and 191 mentee cities across 33 states and Union Territories in its first edition.
Scale and Methodology of the Survey
The 2025-26 Swachh Survekshan marks the 10th edition of the national cleanliness survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban. Urban local bodies were assessed on 43 indicators across 10 key areas, covering waste segregation, door-to-door collection, visible cleanliness, access to sanitation, used water management, and sanitation worker welfare. More than 3,000 assessors carried out field evaluations, supported by GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification. Notably, around 2.70 crore citizens provided feedback in this edition — underlining the survey's expanding public participation footprint.
Government Response
Reacting to the results, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said: 'When citizens lead, and Swachhata Doots serve, cities shine!' He attributed the triple recognition to the collective participation of citizens, the efforts of Swachhata Doots and sanitation workers, and the dedication of urban local bodies across the three cities. The acknowledgement reflects a broader state strategy of incentivising grassroots-level sanitation engagement over top-down mandates.
What This Signals for Gujarat's Urban Policy
Gujarat's sweep of multiple categories at the 10th Swachh Survekshan positions the state among the most consistent performers in India's urban cleanliness rankings. The recognition of Vadodara as the state's first Swachh City and Ahmedabad's national leadership in the mentor-city model signals that Gujarat is extending its sanitation success beyond its largest urban centres. With the Swachh Shehar Jodi framework now embedded in national policy, other states will be watching how the Ahmedabad-Sanand pairing's best practices translate into measurable sanitation gains.
Point of View
But the more telling detail is structural: the Swachh Shehar Jodi framework, which is only in its first edition, already has Ahmedabad sitting at the national summit. The real test is whether the mentor-city model produces durable sanitation gains in Sanand — or whether it remains a soft-power exercise for already high-performing cities. With 2.70 crore citizens now part of the feedback loop, the survey's credibility as a demand-side accountability tool is growing, but the gap between rankings and on-ground service delivery in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities remains the harder story to tell.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Gujarat win at the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26?
Three Gujarat cities won national recognition: Surat in the National Clean City category, Ahmedabad as the Rank 1 Mentor City under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative (paired with Sanand), and Vadodara as the state's first Swachh City. The awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
What is the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative?
Launched in September 2025, Swachh Shehar Jodi pairs better-performing urban local bodies with cities that have weaker sanitation records, encouraging knowledge transfer in areas like waste segregation, solid waste management, and wastewater treatment. The initiative covered 70 mentor cities and 191 mentee cities across 33 states and Union Territories in its first year.
What is the Swachh Survekshan and how is it conducted?
Swachh Survekshan is an annual national urban cleanliness survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban. The 2025-26 edition — its 10th — assessed urban local bodies on 43 indicators across 10 key areas, with more than 3,000 field assessors using GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification, and around 2.70 crore citizens providing feedback.
Who presented the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards?
President Droupadi Murmu presented the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 11 November 2025.
What did Gujarat's Deputy Chief Minister say about the recognition?
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, announcing the results on X, said: 'When citizens lead, and Swachhata Doots serve, cities shine!' He credited the achievements to citizen participation, Swachhata Doots, sanitation workers, and the urban local bodies of the three cities.
