Uttar Pradesh has achieved a remarkable success at the national level in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, released under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The capital, Lucknow, has emerged as the third cleanest city in the country this year, a matter of pride for the state. Lucknow, which ranked 44th last year, has made tremendous improvements to secure its place in the top three this time. Furthermore, Lucknow has also been awarded a 7-star rating in the Garbage Free City category, placing it first in the state.
Strong Performance of UP Cities
Other cities in Uttar Pradesh have also performed impressively on every parameter of cleanliness this time. Agra, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, and Prayagraj have been given a 5-star Garbage Free City rating, indicating that serious efforts are now being made towards cleanliness in major cities.
UP has also achieved significant success in the population classification-based ranking of the Swachh Survekshan.
• Two cities from UP have been included in the top 10 cities with a population of more than 1 million.
• 8 cities in this category have secured a place in the top 100.
• 13 cities with a population of 3 to 10 lakh and
• 7 cities with a population of 50 thousand to 3 lakh have also been ranked in the top 100.
• Meanwhile, 5 cities with a population of 20 thousand to 50 thousand have also been included in this list.
In this way, a total of 33 cities have made it to the list of the top 100 cleanest cities, which shows that solid work is being done on cleanliness at every level in the state.
Tremendous Improvement Compared to 2023-24
Uttar Pradesh has also made tremendous progress in various categories of cleanliness compared to last year. The figures below present a clear picture of this change:
• Water+ Category ULB: In 2023-24, there were only 2 cities, now 16 cities have been included in 2024-25. That is, an increase of 700%.
• ODF++ Status ULB: In 2023-24, there were 129 cities, now their number has increased to 337, which shows an increase of 161%.
• 5-Star GFC (Garbage Free City) Rating: Earlier only Noida was there, now 5 cities are on this list — a 400% increase.
• Total GFC Certification: In 2023-24, there were 65 cities, in 2024-25, 84 cities have found a place with a gain of 28%.
• 1-Star GFC Rating: In 2023-24, there were 56 cities, now this number has increased to 70 cities — a 25% increase.
These figures clearly indicate that the urban local bodies of UP have not only made plans but have also successfully implemented them on the ground.
Strong Presence of UP in Garbage Free City Rating
This time, a total of 83 cities of Uttar Pradesh have been awarded various star ratings in the Garbage Free City rating:
• 7-Star Rating: Lucknow
• 5-Star Rating: Agra, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, and Prayagraj
• 3-Star Rating: 6 Urban Local Bodies
• 1-Star Rating: 70 Urban Local Bodies
From these figures, it is clear that the urban local bodies of all levels in the state have made a significant contribution to cleanliness.
Recognition for 13 Municipal Corporations and Noida
UP has also achieved great success in another important parameter of cleanliness, the Water+ category.
This year, 13 municipal corporations of the state have been included in this category.
Noida has been included in this list for the first time, which is an indication of its better urban management.
Apart from this, Bijnor and Shamshabad Municipalities have also secured their place by meeting the cleanliness standards.
