MoEFCC hosts Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards & Wetland Cities Recognition Ceremony 2025

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) today hosted the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards & Wetland Cities Recognition Ceremony 2025, celebrating the top-performing cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and honouring new additions to the global Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation scheme. The event was graced by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, senior government officials, and representatives from local bodies across India.

Background of NCAP and the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched following a clarion call from the Prime Minister on 15th August 2020, urging 100 cities to take mission-mode action against pollution. Since then, the programme has grown to include 130 cities, with a strong focus on actionable reforms across road dust management, vehicular emissions, waste processing, industrial pollution, and construction and demolition (C&D) waste handling.

The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is conducted annually for these cities, providing a rigorous multi-tier evaluation framework. It encourages healthy competition, promotes innovation, and rewards impactful measures taken to improve air quality.

Winners of Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2025

This year’s awards recognised 11 cities that demonstrated excellence and innovation in reducing air pollution and improving environmental sustainability.

Category 1: Cities with over 10 lakh population

• Indore (1st place, score 200/200) – Awarded ₹1.5 crore. Indore planted over 16 lakh trees, earning a Guinness World Record, and transitioned to sustainable mobility with 120 electric buses and 150 CNG buses.

• Jabalpur (2nd place, 199/200) – Awarded ₹1 crore. The city has invested in an 11 MW waste-to-energy plant and extensive urban greening projects.

• Agra and Surat (joint 3rd, 196/200) – Awarded ₹25 lakh each. Agra remediated its legacy waste dumpsite and promoted Miyawaki plantations. Surat rolled out an EV policy offering incentives and tax benefits while maintaining 38% green cover.

Category 2: Cities with 3–10 lakh population

• Amravati (1st place, 200/200) – Awarded ₹75 lakh. The city transformed 340 km of roads with end-to-end pavements, converted 19 acres of barren land into dense forest, and upgraded 53 public gardens.

• Jhansi and Moradabad (joint 2nd, 198.5/200) – Awarded ₹25 lakh each. Jhansi expanded urban greening and Miyawaki forests, while Moradabad advanced road infrastructure and improved C&D waste management.

• Alwar (3rd, 197.6/200) – Awarded ₹25 lakh. The city focused on legacy waste remediation.

Category 3: Cities with under 3 lakh population

• Dewas (1st, 193/200) – Awarded ₹37.5 lakh. Dewas shifted industries to cleaner fuels to cut emissions.

• Parwanoo (2nd, 191.5/200) – Awarded ₹25 lakh. Known for road pavement projects to reduce dust.

• Angul (3rd, 191/200) – Awarded ₹12.5 lakh. Angul combined road upgrades with citizen awareness campaigns.

The Minister lauded Moradabad and Agra as three-time winners; Indore, Jabalpur, Surat, Jhansi, Dewas, Parwanoo, and Angul as two-time winners; and congratulated Alwar as a first-time winner.

Financial Support and Impact

To support clean air initiatives, the Government has:

• Allocated ₹20,130 crore to 130 NCAP cities.

• Disbursed ₹13,237 crore as performance-linked grants between 2019–2025.

• Mobilized ₹73,350 crore through convergence of schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission, SATAT, FAME-II, and Nagar Van Yojana.

• With state and local body contributions, a total of ₹1.55 lakh crore has been mobilized.

This sustained funding has yielded tangible results: 103 of 130 NCAP cities showed improved air quality, 64 cities reduced PM10 levels by 20%, and 25 cities achieved a 40% reduction compared to 2017–18.

New Guidelines and Best Practices

The event also saw the release of:

• Ward-Level Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Guidelines – extending monitoring and competition to the ward level to boost community engagement.

• Compendium of Best Practices under NCAP – documenting innovative and replicable strategies adopted by various cities.

Digital platforms like the PRANA portal continue to track progress, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Wetland City Recognition – Indore and Udaipur Honoured

In parallel with air quality awards, the Ramsar Secretariat recognised Indore and Udaipur as Wetland Cities under the Ramsar Convention’s Wetland City Accreditation scheme. These cities were applauded for their exceptional efforts to protect urban wetlands, acknowledging wetlands’ role in flood control, pollution absorption, biodiversity conservation, and livelihoods.

The Minister recalled India’s remarkable growth in wetlands protection: the country now has 91 Ramsar sites spanning 1.36 million hectares, up from just 25 in 2014, making India Asia’s leader and the world’s third-highest in Ramsar-recognized wetlands.

Mission Mode Initiatives

The government continues to advance holistic environmental action through:

• Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) – promoting sustainable practices like water conservation.

• Mission Amrit Sarovar – rejuvenating water bodies across all districts.

• Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign – targeting the planting of 75 crore trees during Seva Parv (17 Sept–2 Oct 2025).

• Nagar Van Yojana – creation of 75 urban forests to strengthen green cover.

The Union Minister praised the award-winning cities for their leadership in tackling pollution and protecting ecosystems, urging others to emulate their example. He stressed that the event was not just a celebration but a reaffirmation of India’s mission-mode commitment to cleaner air, healthier cities, and sustainable urban development.