New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) : The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has identified 50 model cities under the PRAGATI-50 initiative for demonstrating a higher benchmark of ‘Swachhata’ through targeted action and leveraging intensive technology-enabled monitoring within the framework of Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Khattar said, “These 50 cities across 24 states will emerge as clean role‑model cities for the rest of the country, by going beyond their routine sanitation work to demonstrate sustained, high-performance parameters of visible cleanliness. We have ensured inclusion of major cities, cities of cultural importance, high tourism destinations and economic centres.”
“The initiative aims to drive visible 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,” he added.
The other initiatives rolled out on Tuesday include the launch of the Swachh Bharat Test Bed by CSIR-CMERI, the onboarding of the 3rd cohort of Swachhata Startups in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, inauguration of the Reduce Reuse and Recycle Centre of Sankalp Bhawan, New Delhi and the launch of Swachchata Behaviour Change Digital Kosh.
In his remarks, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said the new model cities initiative would help cities achieve the goal of Garbage Free Cities within a stipulated timeframe and enable them to emerge as role models for other urban centres. He called upon States and Urban Local Bodies to prepare micro-level action plans and ensure their swift and effective implementation.
The Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Satendra Singh said to ensure efficient monitoring, a Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) -like digital review mechanism has been established on the Swachhatam Portal. Officers from the Ministry will be assigned specific cities for regular supervision and handholding.
Standard Operating Procedure for Establishment of Secondary Collection Centre for Construction & Demolition Waste (C&D) and Guidelines for Source Segregation of Municipal Solid Waste mandated under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 were also released to further support the on-ground implementation of projects,
Further, in collaboration with CSIR‑CMERI, MoHUA launched the Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre at Durgapur, a national facility for research, product development, testing, validation, certification, and capacity building in sanitation technologies.
Besides, the Mission has engaged 75 startups across the waste value chain to accelerate innovation. Riding the wave of entrepreneurial momentum, MoHUA, in collaboration with the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur, has launched the third cohort of startups focused on pioneering solutions in sanitation and waste management. With 13 startups joining Cohort 3, the initiative is fast-tracking cleaner, tech-driven urban solutions.
A dedicated WhatsApp channel has also been launched to make it easier for citizens to lodge their complaints and actively contribute to keeping their cities clean.
Union Minister Manohar Khattar also launched 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. The platform will provide States, ULBs and stakeholders with ready-to-use communication resources, innovative campaign ideas and advocacy materials —enabling knowledge sharing, replication and citizen-centric communication to make Swachhata a habit and a way of life.
