Pune, 17 July 2025: Pune has secured the 8th position in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s national cleanliness rankings for 2024, marking a notable improvement in its journey towards becoming a cleaner city. The rankings were released after a nationwide evaluation of cities with a population of over 10 lakh.
Since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2016, the central government has been assessing cities annually based on various cleanliness parameters. Indore continued its unmatched streak by claiming the top spot for the eighth consecutive year, while Surat and Navi Mumbai secured the second and third positions respectively.
In Maharashtra, Navi Mumbai has consistently ranked among the top five cities. Pune, however, had struggled to make significant gains in recent years. This year’s jump to 8th place is seen as a positive step forward, especially considering the city’s fluctuating performance in previous surveys.
Pune ranked 37th in 2019, rose to 15th in 2020, and made a remarkable leap to 5th in 2021. However, it slipped to 9th place in both 2022 and 2023. The latest improvement comes after the municipal administration reportedly analysed last year’s performance in detail and took focused efforts to address shortcomings.
Smaller cities had outperformed Pune last year, prompting a strategic reassessment by the Pune Municipal Corporation. This year’s improvement reflects those corrective measures, although officials were aiming for a spot even higher in the rankings.
Indore remains the undisputed leader in urban cleanliness in India, having also earned the prestigious Seven-Star Rating.
