India has taken a significant step forward in urban sanitation with the launch of the Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) initiative. Unveiled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), this ambitious program seeks to transform waste management and sanitation standards nationwide through a structured, city-to-city mentorship model.
What is the Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative?
Launched on September 27, 2025, the Swachh Shehar Jodi is a large-scale urban waste management mentorship program under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U). The initiative pairs high-performing “mentor” cities with lower-performing “mentee” cities to encourage knowledge sharing, peer learning, and replication of best practices.
Currently, the program pairs 72 mentor cities with around 200 mentee cities. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar described it as one of the largest structured, time-bound, and outcome-driven mentorship programs in the urban waste management sector. The initiative is inspired by the principle of Antyodaya, ensuring that no city is left behind and every urban area benefits from collective expertise.
How Does It Work?
The selection and pairing process is carefully designed using performance data from Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest annual urban cleanliness survey.
Selection of Mentor Cities:
- High-achieving cities from the Super Swachh League (top performers from Swachh Survekshan 2022–2024)
- Top three cities in various population categories in Swachh Survekshan 2024
- Other “promising clean cities”
Selection of Mentee Cities:
- Cities ranking lowest in their state’s latest Swachh Survekshan cumulative rankings
- Geographical proximity to mentor cities to facilitate coordination
To formalize partnerships, nearly 300 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed simultaneously nationwide, marking the official launch of the program.
The 100-Day Action Plan
A key feature of SSJ is an intensive 100-day action program, designed to demonstrate the immediate impact of mentorship. During this phase, mentor-mentee pairs will:
- Develop customized action plans with clear milestones
- Engage in experience sharing via workshops, training, and field visits
- Improve systems for waste segregation, collection, transport, and disposal
- Promote community participation and behavioral change
The Ministry will provide strategic direction, policy guidance, and operational support, while funding for capacity-building can be drawn from state and Union Territory allocations under SBM-U 2.0.
Key Focus Areas
The mentorship will focus on critical aspects of urban sanitation, including:
- Visible cleanliness of cities
- Waste segregation, transport, and scientific processing
- Access to sanitation and used water management
- Citizen advocacy and grievance redressal
Progress will be closely monitored, with the effectiveness of these partnerships evaluated in the Swachh Survekshan 2026 rankings, expected to show measurable improvements in mentee cities.
This initiative strengthens city-to-city collaboration, aligns with the broader goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, fostering healthier urban environments and improving the quality of life for citizens.