Swachhata Didis Welcome Arun Sao and Civic Leaders Home After Swachh Survekshan Honours

Swachhata Didis welcome Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao and Raipur Mayor Meenal Chaubey with roses at Raipur airport on 12 November 2026, as they return from the Swachh Survekshan awards ceremony in New Delhi. Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/DPR.

Hundreds of sanitation workers and municipal staff gathered at Raipur airport to welcome the delegation from Raipur, Bilaspur and Bilha after the awards ceremony in New Delhi.

Key Highlights

• Traditional folk dances and music greeted the delegation on its return to Raipur on 12 November.
• Bilha ranked first nationally among towns with fewer than 20,000 residents, Bilaspur placed second in the clean riverfront category, and Raipur was named Chhattisgarh’s cleanest city.
• Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao credited the state’s more than 9,000 Swachhata Didis for their work in waste collection, segregation and public awareness.

Raipur: Hundreds of Swachhata Didis and municipal staff gathered at Raipur airport on Thursday, 12 November 2026, to welcome Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Arun Sao and civic leaders returning from the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 awards ceremony in New Delhi. Traditional folk dances and music greeted the delegation as it arrived.

Raipur Mayor Meenal Chaubey, Bilaspur Mayor Pooja Vidhani and Bilha Nagar Panchayat President Vandana Jendre were among those welcomed at the airport. President Droupadi Murmu had presented the awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi the previous day.

Sao credits the workers behind the awards

Sao congratulated the three civic bodies on receiving recognition at the national ceremony for a second consecutive year. He said the repeat honours reflected sustained improvements in urban sanitation and credited sanitation workers, elected representatives, municipal officials and residents for the results.

He singled out the state’s more than 9,000 Swachhata Didis, who collect waste from households, help segregate it and encourage residents to adopt better sanitation practices. Sao said the awards also recognised their daily work. He added that the state’s goal was to improve cleanliness, public health and civic amenities in every urban local body and that the three recipients could encourage other municipalities to improve their services.

Bilha retains its top rank as Bilaspur and Raipur earn fresh honours

Bilha retained first place nationally in the category for towns with fewer than 20,000 residents. Bilaspur finished second nationally in the Swachh River Front Town category. In the previous survey, it had placed second in a different category, for cities with populations between three lakh and ten lakh.

Raipur was named Chhattisgarh’s cleanest city in the latest edition. In the 2024–25 survey, the state capital had received the ‘Promising Swachh City’ award for Chhattisgarh.