Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative: Bridging Clean City Gaps

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has taken a significant step towards elevating urban sanitation by launching the Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) initiative. This program enlists 72 mentor cities to guide approximately 200 mentee cities, identified based on their performance in the Swachh Survekshan rankings. Union Minister Manohar Lal spearheaded the rollout, emphasizing its role in the larger Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between participating cities in a national event held in Sonipat. The SSJ initiative becomes one of the largest structured mentorship frameworks in the domain of urban waste management, aiming to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, skills, and practices to upgrade sanitation and waste management across India's urban landscapes.

Complementing these efforts, the Super Swachh League identified and celebrated cities that ranked foremost in previous Swachh Survekshan audits. The goal remains to push these cities towards even greater standards while encouraging others to raise their competitive spirit. Pairing top-ranking mentor cities with low-ranking mentee cities from the same state ensures localized mentorship to effectively replicate successful practices. With MoHUA releasing implementation guidelines on August 26, 2025, the initiative focuses on direct exposure and a collaborative framework to develop actionable insights and programs.