Overview of the Recognition

- Hyderabad and Siddipet, cities in Telangana, gained substantial recognition at the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023.

- The awards commemorated their efforts in maintaining cleanliness and sanitation.

Individual Achievements of Hyderabad and Siddipet

- Hyderabad climbed to 9th rank among cities with a population over one lakh in terms of cleanliness.

- Siddipet earned the prestigious title of the cleanest city in South India in the 50,000-1 lakh population category.

Greater Hyderabad's Dual Recognition

- Greater Hyderabad garners a 5-star sanitation rating, becoming the first Telangana city with a population above one lakh to achieve this.

- The city further received a recertification as a 'Water+' city which denotes sustainable water management practices.

Presentation of Awards

- Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri presented the awards in New Delhi.

- GHMC Commissioner Ronald Rose and district representatives were honoured at the event.

Details about the Survey

- Swachh Survekshan Awards assessment was a year-long process from April 2022 to March 2023 and included 4,443 local bodies.

- Greater Hyderabad's score is split into services (51%), certification (26%), and people’s voice (23%) assessments.

Journey of Transformation

- Remarkably, Greater Hyderabad jumped from rank 275 in 2015 to being among the top 10 in 2023.

- The city administration and the public played major roles in enhancing cleanliness standards.

Siddipet's Role Model Status

- MLA and former minister of Siddipet, T. Harish Rao, hailed the city's achievements.

- He praised Siddipet’s garbage collection and disposal systems, and cleanliness initiatives, urging other cities to adopt them as models.

General Knowledge Part: Swachh Survekshan Awards

- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, conducts the Swachh Survekshan Awards as part of its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan mission.

- It aims to encourage cities to improve urban cleanliness while fostering a competitive spirit.

- The assessment parameters include services, certification, and people’s voice among others.

- It is one of the world's largest cleanliness surveys covering thousands of cities across India.