In the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Central government, Indore and Surat emerged as the ‘cleanest cities’ in the country, with Navi Mumbai securing its third position. Indore’s remarkable achievement of winning the title for the seventh consecutive time is truly commendable. Additionally, the list recognizes Maharashtra as one of the ‘best-performing states’, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
President Droupadi Murmu presented awards to the victors during a ceremony organized in the city. The event was graced by the presence of Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, along with other dignitaries.
Here’s a list of the 10 cleanest cities in the country:
| Ranking | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| 1 | Indore & Surat | Indore | Indore |
| 2 | NA | Surat | Surat |
| 3 | Navi Mumbai | Navi Mumbai | Vijayawada |
| 4 | Visakhapatnam | Visakhapatnam | Navi Mumbai |
| 5 | Bhopal | Vijayawada | NDMC |
| 6 | Vijayawada | Bhopal | Ambikapur |
| 7 | NDMC | Tirupati | Tirupati |
| 8 | Tirupati | Mysuru | Pune |
| 9 | Greater Hyderabad | NDMC | Noida |
| 10 | Pune | Ambikapur | Ujjain |
Saswad, a city located in Maharashtra, has recently been honored with the prestigious cleanest city award in the category of urban centers with a population of less than 1 lakh. The second and third positions in terms of cleanliness in this category were secured by Patan in Chhattisgarh and Lonavla in Maharashtra, respectively. Additionally, Varanasi and Prayagraj were recognized as the cleanest towns along the Ganga river.
Since 2016, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has been conducting the Swachh Survekshan, which is the largest global survey on urban sanitation and cleanliness. This initiative has played a vital role in fostering a sense of healthy competition among towns and cities, encouraging them to improve their service delivery to citizens and strive towards creating cleaner urban environments.
The Swachh Survekshan has significantly expanded since its inception, initially covering only 73 major cities in 2016. It now encompasses a much broader scope, including a total of 4,477 cities.