India’s Cleanest Cities Are Revealed! Navi Mumbai Leads the Swachh Survekshan Rankings

India's cities have another reason to celebrate their cleanliness efforts! Navi Mumbai has emerged as the country's cleanest city under the Swachh Sahar League category at the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26, reaffirming its commitment to better waste management and urban sanitation.President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious awards at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, recognising cities and urban local bodies that have made remarkable contributions to the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.Surat secured the second position, followed by Vijayawada in third place, making it a proud moment for these cities and their cleanliness initiatives.The latest edition also recognised cities for their achievements in special categories. Madhya Pradesh's Rewa emerged as the cleanest riverfront town in the country, followed by Bilaspur and Varanasi in second and third positions, respectively.In the Himalayan cities category, Rudrapur secured the top position, while Jammu claimed the second spot. A Decade of India's Cleanliness JourneyThe awards mark the completion of the 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan, the annual cleanliness assessment conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.Launched in 2016 with just 73 Urban Local Bodies, the initiative has grown into one of the world's largest urban cleanliness surveys. This year's assessment covered more than 4,751 cities across the country.Conducted under the theme 'Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath', the survey celebrates the collective efforts of citizens, sanitation workers and local administrations in making cities cleaner and healthier.Beyond Rankings: A Stronger Focus on Citizen ParticipationThe 2025-26 edition introduced several important improvements to make the assessment more comprehensive. Greater importance was given to citizen feedback, while the survey expanded its coverage of urban riverfronts, coastlines and water bodies.It also introduced specific indicators to assess efforts to prevent open defecation and open urination, improve cleanliness at tourist and heritage sites, and encourage behaviour change through school-based initiatives.Urban Local Bodies were evaluated across 43 indicators covering 10 key assessment areas. These included waste segregation, collection and transportation, solid waste management, sanitation facilities, the welfare of sanitation workers, and citizen feedback and grievance redressal.With each edition reaching more cities and introducing stronger assessment measures, Swachh Survekshan is helping make cleanliness a shared responsibility rather than just an administrative target. The latest awards are a reminder that cleaner cities are built through consistent efforts, responsible citizens and communities working together.