Swachh rankings of 73 cities on February 15

The cities have been surveyed for sanitation and hygiene conditions, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission

The urban development ministry will announce on February 15 the ranking of 73 cities, surveyed for sanitation and hygiene conditions, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Called Swachh Survekshan Survey, the result will unveil the list of India's cleanest cities. The survey was conducted by the ministry to evaluate the on-ground progress of the mission.

The first-of-its-kind survey since the launch of the mission in October 2014, aims at serving as a report on the work carried out by different municipalities under the drive.

The rankings would be an evaluation of progress made in the strategy for open defecation-free towns and integrated solid waste management, among other initiatives.

The survey will also assess information, education and behaviour change communication activity, door-to-door collection and transportation (of solid waste), processing and disposal of solid waste, besides provision of public and community toilets and construction of household individual toilets.

Its findings would also rank the 73 cities based on the individual score achieved by each of these, to foster a spirit of competition among the major cities and to motivate these to work towards improving the cleanliness level, according to a senior ministry official.

The report would also help the Centre to mentor and guide different cities, by evaluating the best practices observed by top performing areas.

The urban development minister will announce the survey findings on February 15 here. The survey was launched on January 5.