IN PURSUANCE of the directions given by the Prime Minister during the 51st PRAGATI meeting, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has identified 50 model cities under the PRAGATI-50 initiative for demonstrating higher benchmarks of ‘Swachhata’ through targeted, Key Performance Indicator (KPI)-based action and intensive, technologyenabled monitoring under the framework of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. Raipur and Bilaspur Municipal Corporations of Chhattisgarh are among the 50 cities identified under the initiative. The 50 cities across 24 States will work towards establishing higher standards of urban cleanliness through structured action, monitoring and outcome-based assessment.The initiative aims to bring visible and sustained improvements in urban cleanliness, solid waste management, used water management, sanitation and citizen participation through a structured framework of monitoring and review within a defined timeframe.

 

Speaking at the launch, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal said that the 50 cities across 24 States will emerge as model cities for Swachhata for the rest of the country. He said that these cities would have to go beyond routine sanitation work and demonstrate sustained, high-performance parameters of visible cleanliness. Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that over the past decade, Swachhata has evolved from a people’s movement into a way of life. Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Satendra Singh said that efforts would be made towards ensuring better citizen experience and holistic service delivery. Taking the Swachhata App, an important interface for citizens to register complaints and seek grievance redressal, a step further, a dedicated WhatsApp channel has been launched to make it easier for citizens to lodge complaints and actively contribute to keeping their cities clean. Union Minister Manohar Lal also launched the Swachhata Behaviour Change Digital Kosh, a digital repository bringing together ideas, creatives, campaigns and resources to strengthen behaviour change for a cleaner and more sustainable India.