Guwahati has been selected as one of 50 cities across 24 states under the Centre’s newly launched PRAGATI-50 initiative to improve urban cleanliness and sanitation. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal launched the programme in New Delhi on September 29.

The initiative, being implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, will address visible cleanliness, solid waste management, used water management, sanitation and citizen participation. The selected cities include locations considered significant for their economic, cultural, heritage, pilgrimage, tourism and administrative importance.

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the cities will be monitored through a key performance indicator-based framework and a technology-enabled review mechanism. The ministry aims to develop them as clean role-model cities by supporting sustained improvements that extend beyond routine sanitation activities.

Lal will chair review meetings every 2 months to assess progress. The initiative also provides for a digital review mechanism on the Swachhatam Portal, while ministry officers will be assigned to individual cities for regular supervision and handholding.

The programme is intended to strengthen innovation, citizen participation and measurable outcomes in urban sanitation. Alongside PRAGATI-50, the Centre launched a Swachh Bharat Test Bed and Innovation Centre in collaboration with CSIR-CMERI.

The Centre also onboarded the third cohort of 13 Swachhata startups with IIT Kanpur and introduced a dedicated WhatsApp channel for citizens to register sanitation-related complaints. The measures are expected to give residents a direct role in reporting sanitation issues while enabling authorities to track responses through a centralised system.