Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Launches PRAGATI-50 initiative to Develop 50 Model Cities for Swachhata in New Delhi today

The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs launched the PRAGATI-50 initiative to develop 50 model cities across 24 states under the framework of Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0. The initiative aims to demonstrate higher benchmarks of cleanliness, solid waste management, used water management, and citizen participation through targeted key performance indicators and tech-enabled monitoring. Alongside this, several components were launched, including the Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre in Durgapur with CSIR-CMERI, the 3rd cohort of startups in collaboration with IIT Kanpur (marking 75 incubated startups under the mission), a dedicated WhatsApp channel for the Swachhata App, the Swachhata Behaviour Change Digital Kosh, and a Reduce Reuse and Recycle (RRR) Centre at Sankalp Bhawan, New Delhi.