For Prelims: Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), Urban Local Body (ULB), Citizen Feedback and Grievance Redressal, Full form of SS, Nodal Ministry, Edition, Cities covered, Assessment indicators
For Mains: Competitive federalism, peer-learning urban governance, Swachhata behaviour change, digital transparency in assessment
Source:
PIB
5 facts for one-day exams
SSC, railway, police and teaching exams ask direct questions like these.
- Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 is the 10th edition of the annual cleanliness survey.
- The survey covers over 4,751 Urban Local Bodies across 43 indicators.
- The nodal ministry is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities.
- President Droupadi Murmu will confer the awards on 11 November 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan.
Why in the news?
The President of India will confer the 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan Awards on 11 November 2026, honouring India's cleanest cities. The flagship assessment under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban now covers over 4,751 cities and includes 43 indicators across 10 key areas, with a new 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' mentorship initiative showing significant improvement in mentee city performance.
Summary
- Swachh Survekshan (SS) is the flagship cleanliness assessment of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The 10th edition (SS 2025-26) evaluated over 4,751 Urban Local Bodies across 43 indicators spanning 10 assessment areas including waste management, sanitation, and citizen feedback.
- The 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' initiative, launched in September 2025, pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities; mentee cities showed improvement in Visible Cleanliness (48% to 70%) and Source Segregation (16% to 30%).
Highlights
10th Swachh Survekshan Awards
President Droupadi Murmu will confer the 10th edition awards on 11 November 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, honouring India's cleanest cities under SBM-U.
Swachh Shehar Jodi Mentorship
A peer-learning initiative pairing 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities, launched in September 2025, has driven significant improvement in mentee city performance across key cleanliness parameters.
Expanded Digital Assessment
Over 3,000 trained assessors conducted GPS-enabled on-ground evaluations across 4,751 ULBs on 43 indicators, with a fully digital and transparent process.
Background
Swachh Survekshan is the flagship annual cleanliness survey of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Started in 2016 with just 73 cities, it has expanded dramatically to cover over 4,751 Urban Local Bodies in its 10th edition. The survey drives competitive federalism by ranking cities on sanitation and waste management performance.
Key Analysis and Impact
The 10th edition introduces several enhancements: greater emphasis on citizen feedback, expanded coverage of Urban River Fronts, Coastlines and Water bodies, and focused indicators on prevention of open defecation and open urination. The 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' mentorship programme is a notable innovation, pairing high-performing mentor cities with weaker mentee cities. Results show mentee cities improved Visible Cleanliness from 48% to 70%, Door-to-Door Collection from 52% to 74%, and Source Segregation from 16% to 30%, demonstrating the effectiveness of peer-learning models in urban governance.
Way Forward
The awards ceremony on 11 November 2026 will announce the winners across various categories. The continued expansion of the survey's scope and the success of the mentorship model suggest that SBM-U will further strengthen urban waste management infrastructure. Behaviour change initiatives in schools and focus on tourist and heritage hotspots indicate a shift toward sustainable sanitation practices and community ownership.
Mentee City Improvement (SS 2024 to SS 2025-26)
| Parameter | SS 2024 | SS 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Visible Cleanliness | 48% | 70% |
| Door-to-Door Collection | 52% | 74% |
| Source Segregation | 16% | 30% |
| Access to Sanitation | 11% | 38% |
| Used Water Management | 32% | 53% |
| Advocacy for Swachhata | 48% | 66% |
Background GK
Textbook concepts you need to understand this news
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U)
- A flagship mission of the Government of India launched on 2 October 2014, aimed at achieving universal sanitation coverage and making urban India open defecation free (ODF) through proper waste management and behaviour change.
- Urban Local Body (ULB)
- A constitutional body (under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992) responsible for governance and development of urban areas, including municipalities, municipal corporations, and town panchayats.
- Citizen Feedback and Grievance Redressal
- A mechanism under urban governance where citizens can report issues related to cleanliness, sanitation, and municipal services, ensuring accountability and participatory governance.
Facts to remember
Tap a card to see the answer. Try to recall it first.
How exams will ask this
- Data: 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS 2025-26) covering over 4,751 ULBs across 43 indicators
- Nodal Body: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
- Data: Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative launched on 27 September 2025 with 70 mentor and 191 mentee cities
Don't make this mistake!
Examiners may swap the edition number (10th vs 9th) or the number of ULBs covered (4,751 vs 73 from 2016). They may also confuse Swachh Survekshan (annual survey) with Swachh Bharat Mission (the overarching mission launched in 2014).
Write these in mains answers
- Competitive federalism, peer-learning urban governance, Swachhata behaviour change, digital transparency in assessment
Stuck? Get it in one tap
Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey that ranks Indian cities on cleanliness and waste management. The 10th edition's winners will be announced on 11 November 2026 by the President. A new mentorship programme called Swachh Shehar Jodi pairs clean cities with weaker ones to help them improve, and early results show big improvements in mentee cities.
- Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 is the 10th edition of the annual cleanliness survey.
- The survey covers over 4,751 Urban Local Bodies across 43 indicators.
- The nodal ministry is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities.
- President Droupadi Murmu will confer the awards on 11 November 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan.
- Governance: Swachh Bharat Mission and urban sanitation
- Environment: Waste management and sanitation
Related concepts: Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), Urban Local Body (ULB), Citizen Feedback and Grievance Redressal
Practice questions
Pick an answer, then read the explanation.
- Q1Easy
Which ministry is primarily responsible for conducting the Swachh Survekshan survey?
Explanation: Swachh Survekshan is the flagship cleanliness assessment of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, which is under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Ministry of Environment deals with pollution and biodiversity, Jal Shakti handles water resources, and Rural Development manages rural schemes like SBM-Gramin.
- Q2Hard
Consider the following statements regarding Swachh Survekshan 2025-26:
- 1.It is the 10th edition of the survey, covering over 4,751 Urban Local Bodies.
- 2.The 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' initiative pairs 191 mentor cities with 70 mentee cities.
- 3.Mentee cities improved Visible Cleanliness from 48% in SS 2024 to 70% in SS 2025-26.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation: Statement 1 is correct: SS 2025-26 is the 10th edition covering over 4,751 ULBs. Statement 2 is incorrect: the pairing is 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities, not the other way. Statement 3 is correct: mentee cities improved Visible Cleanliness from 48% to 70%.
- Q3Medium
What was the improvement in 'Source Segregation' performance of mentee cities under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative between SS 2024 and SS 2025-26?
Explanation: Source Segregation improved from 16% in SS 2024 to 30% in SS 2025-26. 11% to 38% is Access to Sanitation, 48% to 70% is Visible Cleanliness, and 32% to 53% is Used Water Management.
- Q4Medium
What is the primary objective of the 'Swachh Shehar Jodi' initiative launched under Swachh Survekshan?
Explanation: The Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative is the first-ever urban waste management mentorship and peer-learning programme, pairing 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities to accelerate urban waste management excellence. Financial grants, industrial waste management, and worker databases are not its primary objectives.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is Swachh Survekshan?
Swachh Survekshan is the flagship annual cleanliness assessment of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to rank India's cleanest cities.
2. When and where will the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards be conferred?
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will confer the awards on 11 November 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
3. What is the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative?
It is the first-ever urban waste management mentorship and peer-learning programme launched on 27 September 2025, pairing 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities across 33 States/UTs.
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- Original9 November 2026 · Read story
