<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">President Droupadi Murmu has said that the continuous efforts of central and state governments and all citizens in the last eight years are behind the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Presenting the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022 at a function in New Delhi this evening, Ms Murmu said, Swachh Survey is promoting healthy competition among States and cities for cleanliness. She noted that over nine crore people in more than four thousand cities participated in this year's survey. </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The President said, the Safai Mitras have played the most important role in achieving this success. She said, they worked continuously for maintaining cleanliness even during the COVID pandemic. Ms Murmu said, the Government is ensuring that no safari Mitra loses his life due unsafe cleaning process. She expressed happiness that over 500 cities have become Safai Mitra-friendly cities.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The President said, the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 was launched on the 1st of October last year with the aim to make all cities garbage-free by 2026. She said, from tomorrow, a campaign is being launched in cities to make all citizens aware of segregating wet and dry waste at home for better waste management.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">She urged everyone especially the youth to participate in this campaign and increase awareness about cleanliness in society.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Our Correspondent reports that Madhya Pradesh got the first position among States, followed by Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Indore was adjudged the cleanest city for the sixth time in a row followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai with populations of above one lakh. Panchgani in Maharashtra, Patan in Chhattisgarh, and Karad, Maharashtra bagged the top three awards in the cleanest cities category with a population of below one lakh.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Haridwar is the cleanest Ganga town in the category with more than one lakh population, followed by Varanasi and Rishikesh. Tirupati of Andhra Pradesh got the award for the Best City in 'Safai Mitra Suraksh'a. Deolali in Maharashtra was adjudged the country's 'cleanest Cantonment Board'. Tripura got the award in the small State category. Karnataka's Shivamogga won the 'Fastest Mover City' Award.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">In his address, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri radiated the Swachh Bharat mission's focus on reclaiming around 15 thousand acres of prime land buried under garbage landfills. He also praised the efforts of States under Swachh Survekshan 2022 to accomplish the vision. Talking about the manual scavenging being totally proscribed Mr Puri pointed out various significant steps taken and the numbers achieved during the Mission.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The award ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries including Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore, Secretary in the Ministry Manoj Joshi, and Urban Development Ministers and Mayors from across the country. Over 160 awards were presented across different categories.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Nearly one thousand 800 guests comprising State and city administrators, sector partners, subject experts, as well as youth organisations, sanitation workers, representatives from industry, Startups in the sanitation and waste management sector, academic institutions, NGOs, and CSOs attended the event. </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>