Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 17 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed Guwahati, the capital of the state, being recognised as the cleanest capital in the northeast in the 2024-25 Swachh Survekshan awards, securing the 44th overall position.
Guwahati and North Lakhimpur were also honoured under the 'Promising Swachh Shehar' category at the national urban cleanliness survey.
CM Sarma also emphasised Guwahati's "huge leap forward" from being the dirtiest to the cleanest capital in the northeast, highlighting how dedicated action resulted in a visible transformation.
"Dedicated action, visible transformation! From being the dirtiest to being the cleanest capital city in the Northeast, Guwahati has taken a huge leap forward in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings. From bottom to top, Assam's cleanliness efforts make an impact!" the Assam CM posted on X.
Meanwhile, Assam's Minister of Public Health Engineering and Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Jayanta Mallabaruah, hailed the award given to the districts.
"It gives me immense pleasure to share that Guwahati has been honoured with the 'Promising Swachh Shehar Award' under the 3-10 lakh population category, securing 44th rank nationally in Swachh Survekshan 2024!" Mallabaruah said in a post on X.
The Minister also highlighted the performance of other districts, including North Lakhimpur, which secured the 155th rank among cities with a population between 50,000 and 3 lakh, and Nagaon, which ranked 274th nationally.
"Alongside Guwahati's remarkable rise, we are proud of the impressive strides made by other towns in Assam under Swachh Survekshan 2024! North Lakhimpur has secured an outstanding 155th rank out of 820 cities in the 50,000-3 Lakh population category. Nagaon emerged as the third-best performer in Assam, with a national rank of 274," the minister said in another post.
Indore has once again been declared India's cleanest city, winning the top spot for the eighth consecutive year in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. Surat secured the second position, while Navi Mumbai stood third. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards in New Delhi today.
Notably, Surat's Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of the Swachh Bharat campaign.
"PM Modi has started a great initiative of the Swachh Bharat campaign in the nation. Following this, the Surat corporation is connecting the people of Surat with cleanliness in a campaign mode and is continuously working... Two things are very important in waste-to-wealth. Women play a crucial role in segregating wet and dry waste, and women in Surat are doing this work very efficiently," she told ANI.
Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 marks the 9th edition of the world's largest urban cleanliness survey. This landmark event unveiled the cleanest cities of urban India, recognising the tireless efforts of cities driving the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) forward.
Starting with 73 ULBs in 2016, the latest edition now encompasses 4,500+ cities. This year, the awards not only celebrate the top Swachh Shehar but also recognise and encourage small cities showing strong promise and progress.