{
  "id": 19907510,
  "title": "Jodi No. 1: Ahmedabad, Sanand are India’s cleanest pair of cities in Swachh awards",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/jodi-no-1-ahmedabad-sanand-are-indias-cleanest-pair-of-cities-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T02:53:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/ahmedabad-sanand-cleanest-city-pair-swachh-survekshan-2025-26-awards-10962480/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In India's Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, Ahmedabad and its satellite town Sanand secured the top spot in the 'Clean City Pair' category, with Ahmedabad serving as the 'Mentor City' and Sanand as the 'Mentee'. This national honor was awarded to the cities by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in New Delhi on November 11. The accolade recognizes the collaborative efforts of the two cities in maintaining high sanitation standards.\n\nAhmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot praised the tireless efforts of the city's sanitation workers and other stakeholders, promising to further intensify cleanliness and environmental conservation initiatives. He emphasized the importance of citizens participating in cleanliness efforts and proper waste segregation.\n\nIn the 'Clean Cities of Super Swachh League' category, Surat claimed the second position nationally, behind Navi Mumbai and ahead of Vijayawada. This award honors cities that have consistently achieved high sanitation standards over multiple years, judged by tougher indicators.\n\nThe Swachh Shehar Jodi award, introduced in 2024-25, aims to promote knowledge sharing and best practices among cities through a 'Each One, Teach One' model, drawing inspiration from the traditional Guru-Shishya learning system. The award reflects the joint performance and collaborative efforts of the mentor and mentee cities, recognizing mentorship outcomes alongside overall cleanliness and service delivery improvements.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Ahmedabad and Sanand named India's cleanest city pair in Swachh awards",
    "President Droupadi Murmu awarded cities in New Delhi on November 11",
    "Ahmedabad's Mayor Hitesh Barot pledged to boost cleanliness initiatives"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The introduction of the mentor-mentee award structure shifts the national sanitation focus from individual city performance to a collaborative model that incentivizes knowledge sharing between urban centers.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}