Chhattisgarh Earns Three Honours at National Swachh Survekshan Awards

President Droupadi Murmu (centre-left) presents Bilha’s first-place award in the under-20,000 population category at the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 11 November 2026. To her right in the photograph stand Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao, Principal Secretary Sonmoni Borah and Bilha Nagar Panchayat President Vandana Jendre, who holds the framed citation. To the President’s left, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu look on. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/DPR

President Droupadi Murmu presents the awards in New Delhi. Bilha ranks first among towns with fewer than 20,000 residents, Bilaspur takes second place nationally for its riverfront, and Raipur leads Chhattisgarh in sanitation.

Key Highlights

• Bilha ranks first nationally among towns with fewer than 20,000 residents.
• Bilaspur places second nationally in the Swachh River Front Town category.
• Raipur wins Chhattisgarh’s first-place state-level sanitation award.
• President Droupadi Murmu presents the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Raipur: Bilha, a town in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district, took first place nationally in its population category at the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 awards on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, where Bilaspur and Raipur were also honoured for their performance in urban sanitation.

The three awards recognised different achievements. Bilha Nagar Panchayat topped the Swachh Shehar category for towns with fewer than 20,000 residents. Bilaspur Municipal Corporation placed second nationally in the Swachh River Front Town category, while Raipur Municipal Corporation received Chhattisgarh’s first prize for sanitation.

Bilha puts a small town on the national stage

President Droupadi Murmu (centre-left) presents Bilha’s first-place Swachh Survekshan trophy to Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao (centre) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 11 November 2026. On the left of the photograph, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu look on. Principal Secretary Sonmoni Borah stands beside Sao, and Raipur Mayor Meenal Chaubey holds the framed citation to their right. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/DPR

Bilha’s first-place finish was the highest national ranking among the three awards received by Chhattisgarh. At the ceremony, the town’s name appeared beneath the national number-one ranking as its delegation received the trophy and framed citation.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao said Bilha’s achievement showed what a smaller civic body could accomplish with limited resources, effective management and active participation from residents. He credited the award to the combined efforts of elected representatives, municipal officials, sanitation workers and the people of Bilha.

Bilaspur takes second place for its riverfront, Raipur leads the state

Bilha’s first-place national ranking fills the screen as President Droupadi Murmu (centre-left) presents the Swachh Survekshan trophy to Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao (centre) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 11 November 2026. Principal Secretary Sonmoni Borah stands next to Sao, and Bilha Nagar Panchayat President Vandana Jendre holds the framed citation to their right. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/DPR .

Bilaspur’s second-place finish came in the national clean riverfront category. The city’s delegation included Mayor Pooja Vidhani and Municipal Commissioner Prakash Kumar Sarve.

Raipur, meanwhile, received the first prize for sanitation at the state level. Mayor Meenal Chaubey and Municipal Commissioner Sambit Mishra represented the state capital at the ceremony. The two awards recognised distinct aspects of municipal work, with Bilaspur honoured for its riverfront and Raipur for its sanitation performance within Chhattisgarh.

Sai credits sanitation workers and citizens

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated the people of Chhattisgarh and the elected representatives, officials and sanitation workers of the three civic bodies. He said the awards reflected changes in how towns and cities were being managed and the contribution of residents to keeping public spaces clean.

“The goal is not merely to improve rankings, but to develop a sustainable system where cleanliness becomes a habit for every citizen and a defining characteristic of every city,” Sai said.

The Chief Minister said public participation, better urban amenities and effective management would help sustain improvements in sanitation. Sao also acknowledged the daily work of sanitation teams and said the recognition belonged to everyone who had contributed to the three civic bodies’ performance.

Chhattisgarh delegation receives awards in New Delhi

Sao and Principal Secretary Sonmoni Borah joined representatives of the three urban local bodies at Vigyan Bhawan. Bilha Nagar Panchayat President Vandana Jendre and State Urban Development Agency Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer Sumeet Agrawal were also present.

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, from Chhattisgarh, attended the ceremony.

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organised the tenth edition of Swachh Survekshan around the theme “New Initiatives for Cleanliness, Join Hands, Clean Together”. The theme emphasised the role of both residents and civic bodies in keeping public spaces clean. For Bilha, the award gave that shared work a moment of national recognition.