Role of ‘Swachhata Didis’ invaluable in putting Chhattisgarh on the national cleanliness map: CM Sai

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday honoured Swachhata Didis for their exceptional contribution in making cities clean and beautiful by ceremonially washing their feet at the ‘Swachhata Sangam’.

The event, held at Bilaspur’s Bahatarai Indoor Stadium, also saw the felicitation of urban bodies that excelled in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao presided over the programme, organised by the Urban Administration and Development Department.

The Chief Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development works worth more than ₹260 crore. Announcing incentives for top-performing municipalities, he said, “The urban body achieving first place in cleanliness at the national level will receive ₹1 crore; the second-place winner will get ₹50 lakh; and the third will be awarded ₹25 lakh.”The event was attended by MLAs Dharamlal Kaushik, Amar Agrawal, Dharamjeet Singh, Dileep Lahariya and Sushant Shukla; Bilaspur Mayor Pooja Vidhani; Chhattisgarh Textbook Corporation Chairman Raja Pandey; CREDA Chairman Bhupendra Savanni; and Zila Panchayat Chairperson Rajesh Suryavanshi, among other dignitaries.Congratulating the Urban Administration Department for successfully organising ‘Swachhata Sangam’, CM Sai said, “Our sanitation workers—Swachhata Didis—have made an immense contribution in the field of cleanliness, and today, washing their feet is a gesture of deep respect. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014.

Since then, we have been moving forward consistently, and Chhattisgarh has achieved remarkable success in this area. These achievements motivate us to go even further.”He noted that the department has been introducing various innovations for public convenience and urged citizens to participate in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign on Independence Day, contributing towards making the state clean and beautiful.Deputy CM Arun Sao called it “a historic day in Chhattisgarh’s journey towards cleanliness.” He said, “When the Prime Minister initiated the cleanliness mission in 2014, it became a people’s movement. We have since built a new identity, earning awards from both the President and the Prime Minister.

Our urban bodies have won six national-level awards—this is a matter of immense pride. Raipur Municipal Corporation has secured a Seven-Star rating in the Garbage-Free City category. Among towns with populations under 20,000, as many as 58 from Chhattisgarh have earned Three-Star ratings. Our cities have also excelled in source segregation and waste management.

Chhattisgarh is advancing rapidly on all cleanliness parameters. Our aim is to make our cities clean, beautiful, and well-equipped, making cleanliness the state’s identity.”Urban Administration and Development Department Secretary Dr. Basavaraju S.said 115 cities in the state improved their rankings in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. Seven urban bodies were felicitated by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi for their outstanding performance.

More than 30 urban bodies excelling at the divisional level were also honoured at the event. CM launches online property tax portal CM Sai also launched the GIS-based Property Tax Live Portal to enable online property tax payments in three municipal corporations—Birgaon, Bhilai-Charoda, and Dhamtari—and in 43 municipal councils. With the facility now operational in 46 cities, this marks a major step in modernising local governance and providing citizens with convenient, at-home services.

The move is also expected to boost tax collection efficiency.The ‘Swachhata Sangam’ also saw the launch of a state-level competition to raise cleanliness and urban beautification standards across municipal bodies. The Chief Minister released a video on the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 by pressing a remote button.

Inauguration and foundation stones worth ₹260 crore During the event, CM Sai inaugurated 24 construction and development works worth ₹63.57 crore in Bilaspur district and laid the foundation stones for 25 works valued at over ₹197 crore.Among those present were Divisional Commissioner Sunil Jain, IG Sanjeev Shukla, Collector Sanjay Agrawal, SP Rajnesh Singh, mayors and chairpersons of all urban bodies, deputy chairpersons, municipal commissioners, chief municipal officers, senior engineers, Swachhata Didis, and Swachhata Commandos in large numbers.