President Murmu Honors Cleanest Cities at Swachh Survekshan Awards
Droupadi Murmu, Hon’ble President, Government of India, presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 at a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The event celebrated and recognized India’s cleanest cities and urban local bodies (ULBs) that have demonstrated exceptional efforts under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban.
This year’s edition of the award ceremony witnessed the participation of over 14 crore citizens, thousands of ULBs, and active support from state governments, highlighting the people-driven nature of the initiative.
In her address, President Murmu highlighted the country’s significant progress in improving urban cleanliness. With global recognition for its scale and involvement of citizens, she noted that Swachh Survekshan has grown into the world’s largest cleanliness survey.
A key focus of her address was the importance of adopting circular economy practices. She noted that India’s tribal and rural communities have followed the rules of reducing waste, conserving resources, and encouraging recycling for a long time. She urged the country to gather inspiration from this traditional practice to create more effective and sustainable waste management systems.
She urged manufacturers to adhere to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) standards and stressed the necessity of rigorous enforcement of the ban on single-use plastics. She added that keeping India clean is a shared duty of citizens, industries, and the government.
Concluding her address, the President stated that cleanliness is not only a civic duty but also an economic, environmental, and moral commitment. She expressed optimism that with continued public participation and innovation, India will achieve its goal of becoming one of the world’s cleanest and most sustainable nations by 2047, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat.