The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation jointly launched Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 with a plantation drive under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' at Children's Park, India Gate, New Delhi.
The campaign carries the theme 'Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat' and runs to 2 October, on five pillars from Cleanliness Target Units to Swachhata se Samriddhi.
On 2 October, Special Gram Sabhas in rural areas and Special Council Meetings in urban areas will review the campaign's outcomes and assess villages' ODF Plus (Model) status.
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Government policies and interventions in sanitation
MoHUA's annual urban cleanliness survey, begun in 2016 with 73 urban local bodies and now covering over 4,500 cities. Its 2024-25 edition, the 9th, named Indore the cleanest city for the eighth consecutive year and introduced the Super Swachh League category.
Status under SBM-Grameen Phase II for a village sustaining open-defecation-free status with waste management: Aspiring (solid OR liquid waste management), Rising (both), and Model (both plus visual cleanliness).