Swachh Survekshan 2018: Indore cleanest Indian city, Jharkhand on top among states

File photo (PTI)

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh's Indore and Bhopal emerged as the cleanest cities in the country occupying the top two slots in the Swachh Survekshan 2018 – a nationwide cleanliness survey conducted by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. 

This is the second consecutive time that Indore has received the tag for the cleanest city of the country. Chandigarh and New Delhi (NDMC) emerged as the third and fourth cleanest cities in the survey.

Among the states, Jharkhand - which was placed last in the survey in 2015 - emerged as the cleanest state in the country. Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh took the second and third slots respectively. 

Meanwhile, the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) has emerged as the cleanest cantonment in the country, followed by Almora and Ranikhet Cantonment in the second and third positions respectively. 

On the other end of the spectrum, 19 of the 25 dirtiest cities in the country lie in West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Indore was inspiring the rest of the country on cleanliness after the city emerged as the cleanest in the Centre's nationwide survey followed by Bhopal.

He was addressing a gathering in Indore after giving awards for the first and second positions under the drive.

The 'Swachh Survekshan - 2018' ranking of the cities are conducted specially for cities with a population of one lakh or more (national ranking) and those below one lakh (state and zonal rankings), said the ministry. 

In the Swachh Bharat ranking of 434 cities for 2016-17, areas falling under the three municipal corporations were at a low -- the EDMC (196), SDMC (202) and NDMC (279).