At the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025, President Droupadi Murmu emphasized the cultural, economic, and environmental importance of cleanliness, urging every citizen to contribute towards a zero-waste, circular economy for a clean and developed India by 2047.
Highlights:
- Swachh Survekshan 2024 became the world’s largest cleanliness survey, engaging over 14 crore citizens across India.
- President Murmu recalled her personal journey in cleanliness initiatives and commended traditional Indian values of sustainability.
- She stressed the importance of source segregation, circular economy, and the School Level Assessment initiative.
- Urged strict adherence to plastic waste management and extended producer responsibility guidelines.
- Voiced hope that India will rank among the cleanest nations by 2047.
In a landmark event underscoring India’s growing commitment to cleanliness and sustainability, the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, today presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025 at a prestigious ceremony organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, President Murmu praised the Swachh Survekshan as a successful initiative that evaluates and inspires urban cleanliness efforts across India. She highlighted that the 2024 edition of the survey was the largest cleanliness assessment in the world, with active participation from state governments, municipal bodies, and nearly 14 crore citizens.
The President reflected on India’s deep-rooted values in cleanliness, stating that, “Our cultural and spiritual traditions have long emphasized keeping our homes, temples, and surroundings clean.” Citing Mahatma Gandhi, she reinforced that “Cleanliness is next to godliness” and shared her own journey that began with hands-on involvement in cleanliness work as the Vice President of a Notified Area Council.
She underlined how principles of circular economy—reduce, reuse, and recycle—are rooted in India’s ancient lifestyle, especially among tribal communities who live in harmony with nature and use minimal resources. “We must adopt and promote such traditional behaviors to strengthen modern environmental practices,” she said.
Focusing on waste management, the President stressed the critical importance of source segregation and applauded initiatives like zero-waste colonies. She also commended the School Level Assessment programme, designed to instill lifelong cleanliness values among students.
Addressing the rising challenge of plastic and electronic waste, President Murmu urged all stakeholders to uphold their duties under the 2022 ban on single-use plastics and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines. She emphasized that producers, importers, and brand owners must fully comply to help significantly cut down emissions.
Concluding her address, the President remarked that cleanliness is not just a physical task, but a mission with economic, cultural, and ecological dimensions. She expressed strong belief that through united public effort, India will become one of the cleanest nations in the world by 2047, aligning with the vision of a developed India.
The event was attended by senior government officials, award-winning city representatives, civic bodies, and cleanliness champions from across the country.
