Guwahati has been conferred Assam’s State First Swachh City Award under the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025–26, announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The President presented the award at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Recognition Across Northeast India

• Several cities from the Northeast were recognised as the leading urban local bodies in their respective states: 
  • Assam: Guwahati, Mizoram: Aizawl, Meghalaya: Williamnagar, Arunachal Pradesh: Jairampur, Nagaland: Longleng, Sikkim: Mangan, Tripura: Khowai, Manipur: Jiribam
• The recognition highlights the growing importance of urban sanitation and solid waste management across the region.

About Swachh Survekshan 2025–26

• The 10th edition was conducted under the theme “Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath.”
• It is the flagship cleanliness assessment of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban.
• Launched in 2016 with 73 urban local bodies, the survey has expanded to more than 4,751 cities.
• The 2025–26 assessment evaluated urban local bodies using 43 indicators across 10 major parameters.
• Award Categories: The awards recognise urban cleanliness across categories such as:

• Swachh Shehar Jodi, Super Swachh League, Swachh Shehar (across five population categories), Swachh River Front Town, Swachh Coastal Town, Clean Himalayan City, State First Swachh City.
• A total of 60 national awards were announced.

Key Award Winners

The State First Swachh City Award recognised 30 top-performing cities across States and Union Territories.

Assessment Framework

• Urban Local Bodies were evaluated using 43 indicators across 10 critical domains.
• Assessment covered waste segregation, collection and transportation, sanitation, used-water management, visible cleanliness and sanitation workers’ welfare.
• Citizen feedback and grievance redressal were also included.
• More than 3,000 trained assessors conducted field evaluations using GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification.

Key Assessment Parameters

• The assessment covered:
  • Waste segregation, door-to-door collection and transportation.
  • Solid waste management and visible cleanliness.
  • Access to sanitation and used-water management.
  • Welfare of sanitation workers.
  • Citizen feedback and grievance redressal.
• More than 3,000 trained assessors conducted field evaluations, supported by GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification.

 https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2335207&reg=48&lang=2 

Significance for Assam

• Guwahati’s recognition highlights the importance of effective municipal sanitation and solid waste management. 
  • However, sustaining cleanliness requires regular waste segregation, scientific waste processing, public participation and efficient municipal services.
• The award also provides an opportunity for other towns in Assam to strengthen urban governance and improve sanitation infrastructure.

Exam Hook: Key Takeaway

Swachh Survekshan promotes competitive and citizen-focused urban governance by assessing cleanliness, sanitation and waste management across Indian cities.

One-line Wrap: Sustainable urban cleanliness requires not just awards, but continuous municipal action and responsible citizen participation.