Competition keeps you active and dynamic. Its ultimate victory is derived from the inner satisfaction.of knowing that you have done your best. Swachhta Abhiyan exhibited its best impact when the cities were called for a Swachhta competition. In Swachh Survekshan 2017, only 434 municipal areas with one lakh or more population were ranked based on sanitation parameters.
In 2018, it became the first pan Indian exercise to assess cleanliness in urban India and, thereby, increased its scale by surveying 4,203 cities. The results, which were announced by Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, have been amazing. Indore in Madhya Pradesh was successful in retaining its title of being India’s cleanest city. Bhopal grabbed the second spot for the 2nd consecutive time and Chandigarh ranked third, moving up from Rank 11 in 2017.
Applauding the efforts of the winning cities, Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “Looking at the way citizens of big winning cities had turned Swachhata into a Jan Andolan, I am not surprised at the results. Congratulations Indore & Bhopal for a repeat performance at 1&2. Well done Chandigarh for coming in 3rd. Others will surely try & catch up next year.”
Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh showed a remarkable leap, moving up to Rank 36 from the previous 351, in 2017 and therefore, became the fastest moving big city of the Swachh Survekshan 2018. Jharkhand was announced as the best performing state which was followed by Maharashtra in the list. Vijayawada was declared the cleanest among big cities whereas Greater Mumbai was cleanest among the state capitals.
The results were announced based on the feedback given by 37.66 lakh citizens. Watching their cities becoming better and beautiful, the survey grabbed considerable attention of the citizens and building in them the enthusiasm to grab the top spot for their city. It was indeed a successful attempt to get people involved in the Swachhta Campaign where their efforts won accolades for their city.
SwachhAbility Campaign has also been working with the same dedication and intention to take the message of Swachhta to the smaller cities. It has been creating awareness about the importance of better and cleaner India and involving one and all to come forward for a combined effort to make a difference in the society.
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