Why in News?   

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 Awards recognizing 78 winners across 4 categories in the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey.  

What is Swachh Survekshan ?  

Swachh Survekshan is the world's largest urban cleanliness survey, launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U). Started in 2016 with just 73 cities, it now covers over 4,500 urban areas across India. This is the 9th edition of the survey.  

Key Highlights of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25  

• Total Awards: 78 awards will be given across 4 major categories.  
• Host:  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA  
• Citizen Participation: 14 crore citizens took part through surveys, apps, and online platforms.  
• Theme: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.   
• Smart Evaluation: The survey followed a structured framework using 10 parameters and 54 indicators to assess cleanliness, sanitation, and service delivery.  

Award Categories  

• Super Swachh League Cities (SSL)  
  • New category highlighting consistent top-performing cities.  
  • Includes cities that ranked in the top 3 in the last 3 years and are in the current top 20%.  
• Top 3 Clean Cities in 5 Population-Based Categories: Cities are now grouped by population for fair comparison:  
  • Very Small: <20,000  
  • Small: 20,000–50,000  
  • Medium: 50,000–3 lakh  
  • Big: 3–10 lakh  
  • Million-Plus: >10 lakh  
• Special Categories: Includes Ganga Towns, Cantonment Boards, SafaiMitra Suraksha, and Mahakumbh.  
• State-Level Awards: Recognizes the most promising clean city in each State/UT.