Union Minister Manohar Lal Launches PRAGATI-50 Initiative for 50 Model Swachhata Cities in New Delhi

Key facts

• Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal launched the PRAGATI-50 initiative in New Delhi on 29 September 2026, under which the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) identified 50 model cities across 24 states for a higher benchmark of Swachhata under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, following directions from the Prime Minister during the 51st PRAGATI meeting.
• A PRAGATI-like digital review mechanism has been established on the Swachhatam Portal, and the Union Minister will personally chair review meetings every other month to track the cities' progress.
• MoHUA, in collaboration with CSIR-CMERI, launched the Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre at Durgapur for research, testing, validation, certification and capacity building in sanitation technologies.
• The third cohort of Swachhata startups, with 13 startups joining, was launched with the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur, marking achievement of the national target of onboarding 75 startups under the Mission.
• The Swachhata Behaviour Change Digital Kosh, a digital repository of ideas, creatives, campaigns and resources, was launched by Shri Manohar Lal.
• A Reduce Reuse and Recycle (RRR) Centre was inaugurated at Sankalp Bhawan, New Delhi, as part of Swachhata Hi Seva 2026, envisaged as the first such centre in a Union Ministry office.
• An SOP for Secondary Collection Centres for Construction & Demolition Waste and Guidelines for Source Segregation of Municipal Solid Waste under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 were released, and a dedicated WhatsApp channel was launched for the Swachhata App.