The Swachh Survekshan (Cleanliness Survey) Awards are part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), an initiative launched by the Government of India to promote cleanliness, sanitation, and hygiene across the country. The awards are aimed at encouraging cities and towns to improve their cleanliness standards and promote healthy competition among them.
Key aspects of the Swachh Survekshan Awards:
Objective: The awards aim to assess and rank cities and towns based on their cleanliness and sanitation efforts, including waste management, open defecation-free initiatives, public and household toilet availability, and overall cleanliness practices.
Annual Survey: The Swachh Survekshan survey is conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. It involves extensive assessments, surveys, and data collection across participating cities.
Parameters for Evaluation: The evaluation criteria include waste collection and processing, waste segregation, construction of public and community toilets, availability of sanitation infrastructure, citizen feedback, innovation and best practices, and overall progress in cleanliness initiatives.
Categories of Awards: The awards are categorized based on city population, promoting competition within different population brackets, ensuring both large and small cities have a chance to be recognized for their efforts.
Recognition and Incentives: Winning cities receive recognition for their efforts in the form of awards, certificates, and public acknowledgment. Additionally, these awards often lead to increased funding or incentives for further sanitation and cleanliness projects.
Promotion of Cleanliness: The awards aim to promote a culture of cleanliness, encourage citizen participation, and incentivize municipalities and local bodies to improve their sanitation infrastructure and practices.
Transparency and Accountability: The survey process is designed to be transparent, with publicly available rankings and assessments to encourage accountability and encourage cities to strive for continuous improvement.
The Swachh Survekshan Awards serve as a means to not only recognize the achievements of cities in maintaining cleanliness but also to motivate and incentivize ongoing efforts towards achieving the goals of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, ultimately contributing to a cleaner and healthier India.
