- Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw, Principal Secretary Sonmani Bora and Mayors received the National Award from President Draupadi Murmu.Bilha secured first place in the country in the category of cities with a population of less than 20 thousand.Chhattisgarh’s achievements in the field of cleanliness and better urban management have been recognized at the national level.
Chhattisgarh has achieved a significant achievement at the national level in the direction of cleanliness and better urban management. Under the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, three urban bodies of Chhattisgarh – Municipal Corporation Raipur, Municipal Corporation Bilaspur and Nagar Panchayat Bilha were honored with the National Award. In particular, Nagar Panchayat Bilha of Bilaspur district has made Chhattisgarh proud by securing first place in the category of cities with less than 20 thousand population in the country. At the same time, Bilaspur of Chhattisgarh has secured second place at the national level in the ‘Clean River Front Town’ category. Raipur Municipal Corporation has received the first prize in the state in cleanliness.
Chhattisgarh’s Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration and Development Minister, Mr. Arun Saw, the department’s Principal Secretary, Mr. Sonmani Bora, and the mayors and commissioners of the respective urban bodies received the National Award from President Smt. Draupadi Murmu at the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. This achievement has given new recognition to the cleanliness efforts of Chhattisgarh’s urban bodies at the national level.
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Tokhan Sahu were also present in the program.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai congratulated and wished the people of the state, public representatives of the concerned urban bodies, officials, and sanitation workers on this achievement. Shri Sai said that the national honors received by Chhattisgarh in the Swachh Survekshan are a testament to the changing picture of our cities and the collective commitment of the people of the state towards cleanliness. A small town like Bilha achieving first place in the country, Bilaspur achieving second place nationally in the clean riverbank category, and Raipur leading the state are a matter of pride for the entire state of Chhattisgarh. He said that our goal is not only to advance in the cleanliness rankings, but to develop a sustainable system in which cleanliness becomes a habit of every citizen and the identity of every city. Through public participation, modern urban facilities, and effective management, we are continuously committed to realizing the resolve of a clean, healthy, and developed Chhattisgarh.
Expressing his pleasure at this achievement, Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration and Development Minister Shri Arun Sao said that the national-level recognition of three urban bodies from Chhattisgarh is a significant achievement for the state. He said that this recognition is the result of the collective efforts of the urban bodies’ public representatives, officials, sanitation workers, and citizens.
It is a special achievement for Bilha Nagar Panchayat to achieve first place nationally in the category of cities with a population of less than 20,000. This honor demonstrates that even small urban bodies with limited resources can achieve excellent performance at the national level through better management, commitment to cleanliness, and public participation.
The selection of three urban local bodies from Chhattisgarh for the national award highlights the state’s efforts to improve sanitation and strengthen urban services. The Swachh Survekshan encourages awareness of urban sanitation, citizen participation, and the functioning of urban local bodies.
From Chhattisgarh, Mayor of Municipal Corporation Raipur, Mrs. Meenal Choubey, Mayor of Municipal Corporation Bilaspur, Mrs. Pooja Vidhani and President of Nagar Panchayat Bilha, Mrs. Vandana Jendre, Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer of State Urban Development Agency (SUD) Mr. Sumit Agarwal, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Raipur, Mr. Sambit Mishra, Bilaspur Commissioner Mr. Prakash Kumar Surve and other officials were present in the function.