Ranchi: Jharkhand has earned national recognition in the Government of India’s Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, with Jamshedpur securing third place in the category of cities with a population between 3 lakh to 10 lakh. Bundu was honoured as the ‘Promising Clean City’ of Jharkhand.
The awards were presented at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday.
Receiving the honours on behalf of the state were Sunil Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development and Housing Department; Suraj Kumar, Director of the State Urban Development Agency; Krishna Kumar, Special Officer of the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee; and officials from the Bundu Nagar Panchayat.
Jamshedpur was also awarded a five-star city rating, while Deoghar, Jugsalai, and Chakulia received one-star rankings. The city was further recognised as a Water Plus city for its excellence in water resource management.
Meanwhile, Bundu, Chirkunda, Rajmahal, Sahebganj, and Deoghar were classified under the ODF Plus Plus category, acknowledging their sustained efforts in sanitation and waste management.
This recognition marks a significant improvement for Jharkhand, which had performed poorly in the Swachh Survekshan 2016. Since 2017, however, the state has consistently made notable progress in urban sanitation and cleanliness.
Principal Secretary Sunil Kumar credited the achievement to the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the guidance of Urban Development Minister Sudivya Kumar, and the active participation of citizens.
He emphasised that all municipal bodies have been instructed to prioritise cleanliness to improve further in upcoming surveys.
The award ceremony was attended by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Minister of State Tokhan Sahu, and Department Secretary Srinivas Katikithala.
Ahmedabad has been declared the cleanest metropolis in India in the million-plus category. Bhopal and Lucknow followed in close succession. Indore, having sustained its pre-eminence for eight consecutive years in cleanliness, was elevated to the newly instituted Super Swachh League.
(IANS)
