• Source:JND
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Uttar Pradesh has recorded a remarkable performance in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, making a significant leap in urban cleanliness rankings and winning several prestigious awards. For the first time, the state has secured third position among cities with a population of over 10 lakh, earning the Presidential Award. The awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, and received by State Urban Development Minister AK Sharma.

Lucknow, the state capital, has achieved a historic milestone by earning a Seven-Star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating and climbing 41 places to rank 3rd nationally, up from 44th last year. This marks the first time any city from UP has entered the top three cleanest cities in the country.

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In addition, Agra, Prayagraj, and Gorakhpur have been conferred with the Award of Excellence. Overall, six cities from UP are now among the top 20 cleanest big cities in India with a five-star or higher GFC rating.

Agra, ranked 32nd nationally, has been recognised as the Emerging Clean City, while Gorakhpur secured third place in the Safai Mitra Safe City category and fourth in the 3–10 lakh population category. The city also received a five-star GFC rating.

Prayagraj received special recognition as the Cleanest Ganga City, with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs applauding the sanitation efforts during the Maha Kumbh. Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Meerut have also made it into the top 25 cleanest cities list, along with Lucknow and Agra. Notably, Moradabad ranked 10th in the national rankings for cities with 3–10 lakh population.

Urban Development Minister AK Sharma attributed this success to the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the collective efforts of citizens, municipal corporations, and local urban bodies. He stated that the government is committed to making UP the cleanest state in India.

A total of 83 cities from UP secured positions in the GFC star category:

-1 city (Lucknow) received a seven-star rating

-5 cities (Agra, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj) earned five-star ratings

-6 cities received three-star ratings

-70 cities earned one-star ratings

The state has 33 cities in the top 100 rankings:

-8 cities with a population over 10 lakh

-13 cities with a population between 3–10 lakh

-7 cities with populations between 50,000 and 3 lakh

-5 cities between 20,000 and 50,000 population

UP has shown major improvement in Swachh Survey benchmarks:

-Water Plus category: From 2 cities last year to 16 cities now (700 per cent growth)

-Open Defecation Free (ODF): From 129 to 337 bodies (161 per cent increase)

-Five-star GFC ratings: From only Noida last year to five cities now (400 per cent rise)

-Total GFC-certified bodies: Up from 65 to 83 (83 per cent increase)

-One-star GFC ratings: From 56 to 70 (25 per cent increase)

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With this impressive progress, Uttar Pradesh has set a new benchmark for urban sanitation and cleanliness across the country.