Chhattisgarh makes big leap in Swachh Survekshan 2024-25; Raipur gets 7-star garbage-free rating

Chhattisgarh has once again registered a strong presence at the national level in the Government of India’s Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. Thanks to the stellar performance of its urban local bodies, 115 out of 169 participating cities in the state have significantly improved their rankings.

In this national cleanliness assessment that covered 4,566 cities across the country, 25 cities from Chhattisgarh secured a place in the top 100 — a major jump from last year when only 16 cities made it to the top-100 list.

A total of 62 urban local bodies in the state have enhanced their status in the Garbage-Free City Star Rating, while the number of cities attaining Single, Three, or Five-Star ratings has risen from 71 to 114.

The state capital Raipur has set a new benchmark by earning the highest Seven-Star rating, up from Five Stars last year. It achieved this in the Garbage-Free City category and has also been declared a "Water Plus" city for its sanitation standards.

Bilaspur, Korba, and Bhilai Nagar have moved up from the ODF Plus Plus category to the Water Plus category this year.

A total of 163 urban local bodies in Chhattisgarh have now attained ODF Plus Plus certification. This includes municipalities like Kirandul and Bhatapara and the Kurra Nagar Panchayat, which were previously only in the ODF category. Sitapur Nagar Panchayat has also advanced from ODF Plus to ODF Plus Plus status.

Over the past 18 months, 62 urban bodies have improved their Garbage-Free City Star Rating through sustained efforts. Bilaspur and Ambikapur progressed from Three-Star to Five-Star, while Bhilai Nagar, Jagdalpur Municipal Corporation, Jamul Municipality, and Gharghoda Nagar Panchayat moved up from Single-Star to Three-Star ratings.

Cities like Dhamtari, Shivrinarayan, and Rajpur — which had no previous star ratings — have directly entered the Three-Star category. Due to special efforts in cleanliness and beautification, 52 cities that were previously unrated have now achieved Single-Star status.

A significant improvement in national rankings has also been observed across several urban bodies:

- Simga rose from 649th to 95th position

- Jashpur improved from 637th to 91st

- Rajpur moved from 630th to 63rd

- Gharghoda climbed from 616th to 71st

- Bhilai-Charoda jumped from 587th to 68th

- Dornapal went from 557th to 81st

- Dantewada improved from 552nd to 70th

- Jagdalpur from 461st to 55th

- Mungeli from 447th to 86th

- Kawardha from 430th to 77th

- Kunkuri from 426th to 84th

- Durg from 314th to 80th

- Rajnandgaon from 268th to 46th

- Bhilai Nagar from 267th to 22nd

- Chhura from 230th to 76th

- Pratappur from 173rd to 62nd

- Balrampur from 65th to 53rd

- Raipur climbed from 12th to an impressive 4th place nationally

Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the performance of the state's cities as a result of collective efforts by local bodies and the people.

He said, “Urban governments, the state government, and the central government are working together with innovation to make cities cleaner and more beautiful.”

He expressed confidence that the rankings of Chhattisgarh’s cities would improve even further and added that this national success will inspire all urban bodies to perform even better.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Urban Administration and Development Shri Arun Sao congratulated the urban local bodies for their excellent performance in the survey.

He said, “In the financial year 2024-25, the state government released ₹7,400 crore for urban development and sanitation, and this positive outcome is a direct result of that investment.”

He added that the department had instructed all municipal commissioners, and the chief municipal officers of municipalities and nagar panchayats to conduct morning inspections with their teams to supervise daily cleaning work.

“These two departmental initiatives have played a crucial role in this achievement,” he said.