For Prelims: Swachh Survekshan, Urban local body, Citizen feedback
For Mains: Governance: Urban local bodies and sanitation; Environment: Urban environmental management
Source:
Hindustan
Dainik Bhaskar
5 facts for one-day exams
SSC, railway, police and teaching exams ask direct questions like these.
- Navi Mumbai topped the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 clean city league.
- Greater Visakhapatnam led cities with populations above 1 million.
- Puri ranked first among coastal cities.
- Rewa ranked first among riverfront cities.
- Rudrapur ranked first among Himalayan cities.
The news
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday announced the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards at Vigyan Bhawan, with Navi Mumbai topping the clean city league. The tenth edition of the urban cleanliness survey, launched in 2016, assessed 4,751 cities across multiple categories. Surat and Vijayawada placed second and third, respectively, in the league.
Among cities with a population above 1 million, Greater Visakhapatnam secured the first rank, followed by Jabalpur and Lucknow. In the coastal cities category, Puri led, with Alappuzha and Ratnagiri in second and third places. Rewa topped the riverfront cities category, ahead of Bilaspur and Varanasi. Rudrapur was ranked first among Himalayan cities, with Jammu second. The survey’s theme was ‘A new initiative for cleanliness: extend a hand and clean together’. Officials said citizen feedback forms part of the assessment.
Why in the news?
President Droupadi Murmu announced the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards on Wednesday, marking the tenth edition of the urban cleanliness survey that now covers 4,751 cities, up from 73 in 2016.
How does the survey assess cleanliness?
Swachh Survekshan is conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The survey uses separate categories to recognise cities of different population sizes and geographical settings, such as coastal, riverfront and Himalayan cities. Citizen feedback is collected to understand residents’ experience of sanitation services. For riverfront cities, the assessment covered both the entire city and its riverbank areas.
What do the rankings show for key states?
Madhya Pradesh had two notable results: Jabalpur ranked second among cities above 1 million population, and Rewa topped the riverfront category. Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow and Varanasi each placed third, but in different categories—Lucknow in the above-1-million group and Varanasi in the riverfront category. Uttarakhand’s Rudrapur led the Himalayan cities category.
Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 category rankings
| Category | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean city league | Navi Mumbai | Surat | Vijayawada |
| Population above 1 million | Greater Visakhapatnam | Jabalpur | Lucknow |
| Coastal cities | Puri | Alappuzha | Ratnagiri |
| Riverfront cities | Rewa | Bilaspur | Varanasi |
Facts and terms for exams
- Swachh Survekshan:
- An urban cleanliness survey that assesses and ranks participating cities across categories.
- Urban local body:
- A local government institution responsible for civic administration and services in an urban area.
- Citizen feedback:
- Residents' views on public services, used to understand their experience of service delivery.
Why it matters for exams
Exams: UPPSC, MPPSC, UKPSC, SSC, UPSSSC PET, UPPSC RO/ARO, MPESB
Syllabus: Governance: Urban local bodies and sanitation; Environment: Urban environmental management
Common mistake: Examiners may swap Lucknow's and Varanasi's categories: both ranked third, but Lucknow was in the above-1-million population category and Varanasi was in the riverfront category.
Mains question
Swachh Survekshan has expanded from 73 cities in 2016 to 4,751 in 2025-26. Examine how category-based rankings and citizen feedback can improve urban sanitation outcomes.
Stuck? Get it in one tap
Swachh Survekshan assesses urban cleanliness and ranks cities in different categories. The 2025-26 survey covered 4,751 cities and included residents' feedback. Navi Mumbai led the clean city league, while other cities topped population-based and geographical categories.
- Navi Mumbai topped the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 clean city league.
- Greater Visakhapatnam led cities with populations above 1 million.
- Puri ranked first among coastal cities.
- Rewa ranked first among riverfront cities.
- Rudrapur ranked first among Himalayan cities.
- Governance: Urban local bodies and sanitation
- Environment: Urban environmental management
Related concepts: Swachh Survekshan, Urban local body, Citizen feedback
Practice questions
Pick an answer, then read the explanation.
- Q1Easy
Which feature of Swachh Survekshan incorporates residents' views on urban cleanliness?
Explanation: Citizen feedback captures residents' views on local cleanliness arrangements. The other options are categories used to group cities, rather than a mechanism for collecting residents' opinions.
- Q2Hard
Consider the following statements about Swachh Survekshan 2025-26:
- 1.Navi Mumbai ranked first in the clean city league.
- 2.Varanasi ranked third among cities with populations above 1 million.
- 3.Rewa ranked first among riverfront cities.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation: Statements 1 and 3 are correct: Navi Mumbai led the league and Rewa led riverfront cities. Statement 2 is incorrect because Lucknow ranked third in the above-1-million category, while Varanasi ranked third among riverfront cities.
- Q3Medium
How many cities participated in Swachh Survekshan 2025-26?
Explanation: Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 covered 4,751 cities. The other figures do not match the participation total.
- Q4Medium
Why does Swachh Survekshan include citizen feedback in its assessment of urban cleanliness?
Explanation: Citizen feedback brings residents' experience of cleanliness arrangements into the survey. Population and geographical categories group cities; they do not themselves capture residents' views.
Frequently asked questions
1. Which city topped the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 clean city league?
Navi Mumbai ranked first, followed by Surat and Vijayawada.
2. Which city led the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 riverfront category?
Rewa ranked first, followed by Bilaspur and Varanasi.
3. How did Lucknow rank in Swachh Survekshan 2025-26?
Lucknow ranked third among cities with populations above 1 million.
4. When did Swachh Survekshan begin?
The survey began in 2016 with 73 participating urban areas.
All sources
- Original11 November 2026 · Read story
- Merged11 November 2026 · Read story