NEW DELHI — President Droupadi Murmu awarded three urban local bodies from Chhattisgarh national honors on November 11, 2026, recognizing the state's municipal sanitation systems during the Swachh Survekshan 2025 ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan.
Bilha won first place nationally. The small nagar panchayat in Bilaspur district outranked every competitor across India in the category for towns with populations under 20,000.
Bilaspur Municipal Corporation secured second place nationwide in the Swachh River Front Town category, while Raipur Municipal Corporation collected the top state-level sanitation prize. The annual audit, organized by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the banner 'New Initiatives for Cleanliness, Join Hands, Clean Together', evaluated civic bodies on operational waste disposal, door-to-door processing, and waterfront upkeep.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and Principal Secretary Sonmoni Borah led the state delegation on stage to receive the trophies from President Murmu. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu joined the presentation alongside state municipal leaders.
Bilha’s national victory spotlights small municipal administrations operating under strict capital constraints.
Local sanitation squads in the town mobilized door-to-door segregation networks across residential wards, outperforming heavily funded municipal councils across other states. Bilha Nagar Panchayat President Vandana Jendre attended the New Delhi dais to accept the national citation.
"The fact that Bilha Nagar Panchayat secured the first position nationally in the category of towns with a population of less than 20,000 is a remarkable achievement," Sao said after the ceremony. "This recognition demonstrates that even smaller urban bodies with limited resources can excel at the national level through superior management, a strong commitment to cleanliness, and active public participation."
Bilaspur’s riverfront division delivered the state's second national podium finish. Bilaspur Mayor Pooja Vidhani and Municipal Commissioner Prakash Kumar Sarve received the runner-up citation for riverfront sanitation, following targeted interventions along the city's drainage and river embankments to halt solid waste ingress.
The goal is not merely to improve rankings, but to develop a sustainable system where cleanliness becomes a habit for every citizen and a defining characteristic of every city.
Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh
Raipur Municipal Corporation anchored the capital’s representation. Mayor Meenal Chaubey and Commissioner Sambit Mishra collected the state-tier first prize, marking consistent compliance across the capital's central processing hubs.
| Urban Local Body | Population / Evaluation Tier | National Standing / Category |
|---|---|---|
| Bilha Nagar Panchayat | Population Under 20,000 | 1st Position Nationwide |
| Bilaspur Municipal Corporation | Riverfront Urban Centers | 2nd Position Nationwide (Swachh River Front) |
| Raipur Municipal Corporation | Capital & State Municipalities | 1st Prize (State-Level Sanitation) |
State Urban Development Agency Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer Sumeet Agrawal tracked field compliance metrics leading up to the Vigyan Bhavan announcements.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated sanitation workers and municipal officers across the three jurisdictions, pointing to localized citizen engagement as the operational driver behind the scores.
Municipal administrations across Raipur, Bilaspur, and Bilha will now submit expanded wet-and-dry segregation benchmarks as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs initiates verification rounds for the upcoming survey cycle.