Ahmedabad and Sanand have won first place in the Clean City Pair category of the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, with Ahmedabad serving as the mentor city and Sanand as the mentee city. The award was presented in Delhi in the presence of the President on November 11.
The recognition follows joint sanitation and waste-management work undertaken by the two cities. According to the report, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation supported Sanand and several other Gujarat cities as a mentor city under the survey framework.
The mentoring programme covered waste segregation, used-water management and the welfare of sanitation workers. Ahmedabad also guided other cities, including Ranavav, Wankaner, Salaya and Mundra-Baroi, on sanitation-related practices, the report said.
The Clean City Pair category evaluates the performance of a mentor city and a mentee city working together to improve cleanliness and municipal sanitation systems. Ahmedabad and Sanand secured the top position after meeting the survey’s stated criteria, according to the report.
The award places the focus on an administrative model that extends beyond the boundaries of a single municipal corporation. Ahmedabad’s role was not limited to its own sanitation performance; it also involved transferring operational practices to smaller or less-resourced urban local bodies. The reported areas of cooperation—source-level waste segregation, management of used water and sanitation-worker welfare—cover several of the core functions that determine how urban cleanliness is delivered on the ground.
The recognition also comes alongside awards for other Gujarat cities. Surat secured second place in the National Clean City category, while Navi Mumbai stood first in that category. Surat has been recognised in recent years for its performance in sanitation, the report said.
Vadodara was named Gujarat’s cleanest city in the state-level recognition. Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Vadodara Mayor Gitaben Makwana and Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu accepted the award from the President, according to the report.
Representatives from Ahmedabad and Sanand were also present at the national award programme. Kanubhai Desai, Ahmedabad Mayor Mayaben Mawani and the municipal commissioner accepted the recognition for the city pair, the report said.
The awards underline the way national cleanliness assessments increasingly examine not only visible urban conditions but also municipal systems such as waste segregation, wastewater handling and the treatment of sanitation workers. However, the report does not provide the individual scores, assessment methodology, inspection findings or implementation data behind the rankings.
The next significance of the Ahmedabad-Sanand award will depend on how the mentoring arrangements are maintained and measured across participating cities. The reported programme identifies continued guidance in waste management, used-water management and worker welfare as the key areas of cooperation.
