Karnal wins President Droupadi Murmu's cleanliness award for second consecutive year

Karnal has been recognised as Haryana's cleanest city for the second consecutive year, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the municipal corporation with an award at the announcement of the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 results in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The city has also secured a place among the country's three cleanest urban centres in the population category of 50,000 to three lakh, marking a significant improvement in its performance in the annual cleanliness assessment.

The awards for the 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan, described as the world's largest urban cleanliness survey, were announced by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan.

Karnal becomes first Haryana municipal corporation to win award twice in a row

With this recognition, Karnal has become the first municipal corporation in Haryana to receive the President's cleanliness award for two consecutive years.

The award was received in the presence of Khattar by Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel, the department's Commissioner and Secretary Ashok Kumar Meena, Karnal Mayor Renu Bala Gupta and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Saloni Sharma.

Khattar, who represents Karnal in the Lok Sabha, was also present at the ceremony.

Last year, Karnal received recognition from President Murmu after securing third place in the 'Swachh Shehar' category for cities with populations between 50,000 and three lakh.

However, Sharma said the city's exact national ranking in the corresponding population category for the latest survey would be announced by Khattar later in the week.

Karnal records significant improvement in cleanliness rankings

The latest recognition reflects a substantial improvement in Karnal's cleanliness performance over the past few years.

In 2023, the city was ranked 115th among urban centres with populations exceeding one lakh. A year earlier, it had secured the 85th position among 4,354 cities in the population category of one lakh to 10 lakh.

Mayor Renu Bala Gupta congratulated Karnal's residents and the entire Municipal Corporation team, saying the achievement had brought recognition not only to the city but also to Haryana.

She credited the collective efforts of residents and civic authorities for the recognition.

Sanitation workers' contribution highlighted

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Saloni Sharma praised the sanitation department and sanitation workers, popularly known as safai mitras, for their contribution to maintaining cleanliness across the city.

She said the workers continued their duties throughout the year and in all weather conditions, describing their efforts as the most important factor behind Karnal's improved performance.

Sharma also outlined the assessment process undertaken for the Swachh Survekshan. A central government team conducted the survey in March and April last year, examining several aspects of urban sanitation and waste management.

These included visible cleanliness, segregation of waste, its collection and transportation, solid waste management, access to sanitation facilities, used water management and the mechanisation of desludging services.

The assessment also covered the overall welfare of sanitation workers, citizen feedback and grievance redressal mechanisms.

According to Sharma, the evaluators also scrutinised documents prepared by the Municipal Corporation before submitting their assessment report to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

The 10th edition of the survey was conducted under the theme 'Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel, Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath'. More than 3,000 trained assessors carried out on-ground evaluations across the country, supported by GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification.

The latest award marks another milestone for Karnal as the city continues its efforts to strengthen sanitation infrastructure, improve waste management and maintain public cleanliness.