Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Launches PRAGATI-50 initiative to Develop 50 Model Cities for Swachhata in New Delhi today

Key Highlights:

• Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal launched the PRAGATI-50 initiative to develop 50 model cities for 'Swachhata' (cleanliness).
• The initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0.
• It targets higher benchmarks in urban cleanliness, solid waste management, used water management, and citizen participation.
• Monitoring will be tech-enabled through the Swachhatam Portal and a dedicated WhatsApp channel for citizen complaints.
• Key releases include the Standard Operating Procedure for Establishment of Secondary Collection Centre for Construction & Demolition Waste (C&D) and Guidelines for Source Segregation of Municipal Solid Waste mandated under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.

Detailed Insights:

• The PRAGATI-50 initiative was launched following directions from the Prime Minister during the 51st PRAGATI meeting.
• It aims for 50 cities across 24 states to become clean role-model cities through targeted, KPI-based actions.
• A "City as a Whole" approach ensures all stakeholders, including Urban Local Bodies, are involved in planning and implementation.
• The Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre was launched at Durgapur in collaboration with CSIR-CMERI for research and innovation in sanitation technologies.
• A third cohort of 13 startups, in partnership with IIT Kanpur, was launched to accelerate tech-driven solutions in sanitation and waste management.
• The Swachhata Behaviour Change Digital Kosh was introduced as a digital repository for communication resources to strengthen behavior change.
• An RRR Centre (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) was inaugurated at Sankalp Bhawan, New Delhi, promoting sustainable consumption and circularity in government workplaces.

Key Concepts Involved:

• PRAGATI-50 Initiative: A program to select and develop 50 model cities to demonstrate advanced 'Swachhata' benchmarks.
• Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0: A national mission aiming for "Garbage Free" and "Water Secure" cities through sustainable sanitation and waste management.
• Circular Economy: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.