Lucknow retains 3rd rank among India's cleanest 1-million-plus cities in 2025-26

Lucknow has retained its position as India's third-cleanest city among million-plus population cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 rankings. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) on November 11. This marks the second consecutive year that the city has secured the third spot, a significant rise from its 269th rank in 2017.

The annual cleanliness survey, conducted by the central government, has seen Lucknow's ranking fluctuate over the years. The city stood 17th in 2022 and slipped to 44th in 2023 before climbing to third place in 2024-25.

The award was received by Urban Development Minister AK Sharma, Mayor Sushma Kharwal, Principal Secretary P. Guruprasad, and Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar. This time, Visakhapatnam is in 1st place, and Jabalpur is in 2nd.

From waste management to regular ward cleaning, public participation, awareness campaigns, and digital monitoring have transformed Lucknow. Every morning, a Nagar Nigam mini-truck arrives to clear the garbage while playing its signature song, "Swachhata Par Badhe Kadam Toh Lucknow No. 1." Because of this initiative, most people have stopped throwing garbage on the roads.

People of Lucknow also embraced the mission of making Lucknow the cleanest city. Door-to-door waste sorting, a ban on open dumping and increased awareness about cleanliness transformed the Municipal Corporation's campaign into a mass movement. Municipal officials and councillors say the goal is now to make Lucknow number one in the country for cleanliness. To achieve this, several more schemes will be launched before the next survey.