Second survey to test Swachh Bharat Mission

Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu felicitates Nila Boro from Guwahati Municipal Corporation in New Delhi on Saturday. Pic/PTI

New Delhi: Swachh Bharat Mission should become a ‘jan andolan' and not be seen as a government programme only, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said as he launched the Swachh Survekshan 2017 (sanitation survey) for 500 cities across the country.

Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu felicitates Nila Boro from Guwahati Municipal Corporation in New Delhi on Saturday. Pic/PTI

The second round of the survey will cover 500 cities and towns, each with a population of one lakh and above, besides capital cities with less than one lakh population. It would also cover towns which are important heritage and tourism destinations, Naidu said. The 500 cities to be ranked in this round of the survey account for about 70 per cent of the urban population in the country. The last survey, released in January, was conducted in 73 cities, each with a population of 10 lakh and above. "The results of the survey will help us understand the scenario of sanitation in urban India, the distance travelled since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission about two years ago and the distance still to be travelled," Naidu said.