New Delhi, Nov 11: President of India Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025–26 in New Delhi, emphasizing that cleanliness must go beyond keeping public spaces visually appealing and become a shared civic responsibility rooted in public health, social awareness and administrative accountability.
Addressing the award ceremony, the President stressed that achieving the objectives of cleanliness cannot be the responsibility of any single institution or government agency. Instead, it requires the active participation of every citizen, household, community and urban local body.
She observed that the cleanliness of a city reflects not only the condition of its streets and public spaces but also the habits and civic values practised within individual homes. Describing cleanliness as an indicator of collective social consciousness, she called for sustained public engagement in building healthier and more responsible urban communities.
Highlighting the role of citizens in improving municipal services, President Murmu urged youth, women, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and community-based organizations to actively participate in cleanliness initiatives. She encouraged them to share their experiences, identify shortcomings and report local sanitation-related problems so that municipal authorities could respond effectively.
The President emphasized that citizen feedback should not remain confined to surveys, assessments or city rankings. Rather, it should serve as a practical instrument for improving civic services, identifying ground-level challenges and ensuring timely corrective action. Such continuous interaction between citizens and municipal administrations, she noted, would strengthen public trust, transparency and accountability.
Underscoring the importance of innovation in sanitation, President Murmu called for the development of effective, affordable and safe technologies to address emerging waste management and sanitation challenges. She expressed satisfaction over the contributions of premier institutions, including several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and scientific research organizations working in this field.
She also highlighted the growing role of startups in the sanitation sector, observing that innovative enterprises could offer practical solutions to real-world challenges while generating employment and supporting economic opportunities.
Drawing attention to India’s rapidly expanding urban landscape, the President called for special attention to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, which are emerging as important centres of urban growth. She stressed that these cities require focused capacity-building and development strategies suited to their distinct requirements rather than a uniform approach.
She further suggested that urban planners in smaller cities should learn from the experiences of Tier-1 cities, particularly the challenges encountered in their development, infrastructure management and urban planning.
Organized by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Swachh Survekshan Awards recognize cities and urban local bodies for their performance in sanitation, cleanliness and implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
The President’s message at the ceremony reinforced a broader vision of urban cleanliness—one that combines responsive governance, technological innovation, citizen participation and sustainable urban planning. The emphasis was clear: cleaner cities cannot be built through government initiatives alone; they depend equally on responsible citizens and accountable institutions working together.