Uttar Pradesh – In a remarkable display of civic excellence, two historic cities of Uttar Pradesh—Agra and Prayagraj—have been lauded at the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25, emerging as frontrunners in India’s urban cleanliness movement. The accolades mark a significant stride under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision for a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Uttar Pradesh.
Agra Secures Five-Star Garbage-Free Rating
Agra was conferred with the prestigious “Promising Swachh Shehar” award and a 5-star rating certificate in the Garbage-Free Cities category—an endorsement of the city’s consistent efforts to overhaul waste management and urban sanitation.
Following this achievement, Agra Mayor Hemlata Diwakar Kushwaha and Municipal Commissioner IAS Ankit Khandelwal, (2017 batch of the UP cadre), met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow to share the accomplishment and thank the state government for its policy support and infrastructural push under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Khandelwal, a committed bureaucrat, has been instrumental in driving citizen engagement and deploying innovative waste segregation and processing methods across the city.
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Prayagraj Tops as Cleanest Ganga Town
Meanwhile, Prayagraj made its own mark by bagging two prestigious recognitions at the same national platform. The city was declared “Cleanest Ganga Town”, clinching the top rank, and also received a special award for its “Swachh Mahakumbh 2025” initiative—an integrated cleanliness and river management campaign in anticipation of the upcoming Kumbh Mela.
Mayor Umesh Chandra Ganesh Kesarwani and Municipal Commissioner IAS Seelam Sai Teja, (2018 batch of the UP Cadre), also called on the Chief Minister to present the honours and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to making Prayagraj a model for environmental resilience and cultural preservation. Under Teja’s dynamic leadership, the city has adopted a data-driven approach to sanitation, with emphasis on riverbank cleanliness, solid waste management, and mass awareness drives.
These accolades, awarded during the annual Swachh Survekshan Ceremony, underscore the transformative urban governance evolving across Uttar Pradesh, placing both cities firmly on India’s clean-city map. They also signal the state’s readiness to scale greater heights ahead of national events like the Mahakumbh 2025, with infrastructure, sustainability, and civic pride working hand-in-hand.
