Swachh Survekshan 2026: results, rankings and status

Search results often mix three different things: awards announced in 2025, the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 survey cycle, and unrelated rankings such as Swachh Vayu Survekshan or rural sanitation surveys. As of 29 August 2026, the latest national urban-cleanliness awards found in the official PIB and MoHUA sources are the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards, announced on 17 July 2025. The 2025-26 material is a tenth-edition toolkit and assessment cycle, not a published winners list in those sources.

The President conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards on 17 July 2025. The official announcement described 43 national awards and a separate Super Swachh League for consistently high-performing cities.

This table is a headline summary, not the full award list or a single one-to-ten ranking of all cities. The official award PDF includes many population and special categories. Always compare a city within the correct category.

The 2024-25 edition placed cities in five population groups:

1. very small cities below 20,000;
2. small cities from 20,000 to 50,000;
3. medium cities from 50,000 to 3 lakh;
4. big cities from 3 lakh to 10 lakh;
5. million-plus cities above 10 lakh.

A city can be an award winner in its population group without being the same as a Super Swachh League city. A State-level “promising clean city” award is also not the same as the national top city.

MoHUA launched the tenth edition and its 2025-26 toolkit on 20 December 2025. The official release described:

• round-the-year citizen feedback;
• higher weight for citizen validation;
• feedback through Vote For My City, MyGov, Swachhata App and QR-code routes;
• expansion from Ganga towns to river towns;
• a separate matrix for coastal areas;
• a new Swachh Shehar Jodi award category;
• field assessment expected from mid-February to March 2026.

Those are design and assessment facts. They do not identify a 2025-26 winner. Until MoHUA or PIB publishes a final award announcement or official result portal for that cycle, a claim that a named city “won Swachh Survekshan 2026” needs proof.

Use this order:

1. Open the official PIB result announcement for the relevant award year.
2. Open the official awardee PDF and search the exact urban local body name.
3. Confirm the population category and State or Union Territory.
4. Distinguish a national award from a State-level or special-category award.
5. Check whether the city is in the Super Swachh League rather than the ordinary ranked category.
6. Treat a city dashboard, GFC star rating and ODF certification as separate records.
7. Save the document date and URL before quoting a rank.

Name variants matter. A municipal corporation, cantonment, notified area and neighbouring urban local body may have similar place names but separate entries.

Swachh Survekshan combines several types of assessment. The official material for the 2024-25 awards says that edition used 10 defined parameters and involved 14 crore people in the assessment. The 2025-26 launch describes a digital process with evidence submission, field checks and citizen validation.

Do not collapse these records:

This distinction matters when a local advertisement says “five-star city” or “number one” without naming the framework and year.

A ranking is most useful when paired with local service evidence. If waste is not collected, a public toilet is unusable or a dumping point persists:

• record the exact location, date and condition;
• use the municipal or Swachhata grievance channel available in your city;
• keep the complaint number and closure photograph;
• reopen or escalate a false closure through the local authority;
• use the State grievance system or CPGRAMS only where that authority and issue are covered;
• seek records through RTI when you need tender, inspection, service-level or complaint-disposal information.

The ranking does not prevent a resident from documenting a local failure. It also does not prove that every ward has the same service quality.

For a municipal RTI, ask for existing records rather than opinions. Useful requests may include ward-wise waste-collection contracts, vehicle routes, attendance records, processing quantities, complaint closure records, inspection reports and payments made against measurable work. The PIO and APIO guide explains where to submit it.

Swachh Survekshan under MoHUA concerns urban local bodies. Swachh Survekshan Grameen is a separate rural sanitation exercise under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Swachh Vayu Survekshan is an air-quality action ranking under the environment ministry. A result from one cannot be quoted as a city's rank in another.

Similarly, housing status under the PMAY beneficiary list is not part of an individual's Swachh Survekshan rank. Government missions may appear together in an event or dashboard while retaining separate eligibility and evidence systems.

First ask the municipal body for the exact award year, category, document and issuer. If the claim remains unclear, a narrow RTI can request:

1. the award or result document relied on;
2. the category and score communicated to the city;
3. the evidence submitted by the urban local body, subject to lawful limits;
4. the final verification or assessment communication;
5. expenditure on publicity using the claimed rank;
6. the competent officer who approved that publicity.

Do not request that the PIO calculate a new rank or explain why another city performed better. Ask for the records that already exist.

As of 29 August 2026, the latest award announcement located in the official PIB and MoHUA sources is Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, presented on 17 July 2025.

The new framework has multiple population and special categories. The headline announcement placed Indore, Surat and Navi Mumbai in the premier Super Swachh League and highlighted Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Lucknow as new clean cities.

The official material cited here describes the toolkit, survey design and field-assessment cycle. It is not a final winners announcement. Verify any later result directly on PIB or MoHUA.

They may mix years, population categories, Super Swachh League, State awards, GFC ratings, rural surveys or air-quality rankings.

Use the official PIB awardee PDF linked below and search the exact city or urban local body name.

No. It reflects the survey framework and category for that edition. Local service failures can still be documented and complained about.

The launch announcement lists Vote For My City, MyGov, Swachhata App and QR-code routes. Use only current links published by MoHUA or your urban local body.

RTI can request existing records held by the public authority, subject to exemptions and availability. Ask for the final score communication, category and evidence records rather than a fresh explanation.

• PIB: Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 award announcement, 17 July 2025
• PIB: full Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awardee list
• PIB: 2024-25 categories, parameters and participation
• PIB and MoHUA: launch of the 2025-26 toolkit and tenth edition
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: official portal

Last reviewed: 31 August 2026.