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The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has started a huge new program called Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ), which translates to "Clean City Pair." This initiative is a structured mentorship and teamwork program aimed at improving urban waste management and sanitation across India. It was officially launched on September 27, 2025, in a national event held in Sonipat, where nearly 300 cities signed formal agreements, known as MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding), at the same time. This marks one of the biggest and most organized mentorship efforts ever undertaken in India's city sanitation sector.

The core idea of the SSJ initiative is simple: top-performing cities will mentor low-performing cities. MoHUA identified 72 top-performing cities as "mentor cities" and paired them with about 200 low-performing cities as "mentee cities." This matching was done based on the cities' recent results in the Swachh Survekshan (SS) rankings, which is the world's largest annual urban sanitation survey. The goal is to allow the successful cities to share their knowledge, experiences, and best practices with the cities that need help to improve their cleanliness and waste management systems.

The program was launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U), a key nationwide mission focused on achieving an Open Defecation Free (ODF) and scientifically managing municipal solid waste. The launch event in Sonipat was attended by several important figures, including Union Minister, Shri Manohar Lal, MoS, MoHUA, Shri Tokhan Sahu, Haryana CM, Nayab Singh Saini, various State Urban Development ministers, Mayors, and City Commissioners. The presence of these leaders emphasized the high level of commitment to making this mentorship initiative a success. The simultaneous signing of the MoUs across the nation, witnessed by political and executive heads of all participating cities, formally started this collaborative effort.

How the mentorship pairs are chosen

The selection process for both mentor and mentee cities was based on a city’s demonstrated performance in the annual Swachh Survekshan. Over the years, the Swachh Survekshan has highlighted cities that consistently do well in sanitation, engage their citizens effectively, and maintain strong governance even when facing operational difficulties. The continued success of these cities sparked a discussion within MoHUA about how to quickly and efficiently spread these successful strategies to other parts of urban India.

To officially recognize and utilize the expertise of these consistently top-ranked cities, the Super Swachh League was introduced in the latest Swachh Survekshan. The cities included in this league were those that achieved the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd rank in the SS rankings for three consecutive years: 2022, 2023, and 2024. These top performers were categorized across five different population groups to ensure fair comparison and representation. The formation of the Super Swachh League serves two purposes: first, to encourage the very best cities to set even higher standards for themselves, and second, to identify a pool of proven leaders ready to guide other cities.

The mentor cities for the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative were specifically selected from this Super Swachh League. The group also includes the top three cities from each population category in the SS 2024 results and "Promising Clean Cities" which have emerged as strong performers within their respective States or Union Territories in the 2024 survey. On the other hand, the mentee cities were chosen from those with the lowest cumulative rankings in their State's latest Swachh Survekshan. A practical consideration in pairing was also their geographical proximity to their assigned mentor city, ensuring that the collaboration and travel for shared activities would be more manageable and effective.

A time-bound, outcome-driven program

The SSJ initiative is not meant to be a long, drawn-out process; it is a time-bound and outcome-driven program. This means the partnership has a clear, short duration with specific results expected. As Union Minister, Shri Manohar Lal, stated at the launch, the initiative reflects the spirit of Antyodaya, a guiding principle of the SBM-U, which ensures that the benefits of the mission reach the last person, or in this case, the lowest-performing city. The emphasis is on collective growth, ensuring "no city is left behind."

The foundation for this initiative was laid when MoHUA released detailed guidelines for the SSJ on August 26, 2025, which officially announced the mentor-mentee city pairs. Following the September launch, the Ministry kicked off a 100-day program designed to quickly show the positive effects of city-to-city mentorship on urban transformation. During this crucial 100-day period, each mentor and mentee pair is required to work together to develop a detailed action plan. This plan must have clear goals and measurable milestones, focusing entirely on sharing experience and transferring practical knowledge. The mentee cities will receive direct, hands-on exposure to the successful governance models and waste management techniques of their mentor cities, allowing them to rapidly copy and use these best practices.

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MoHUA will not just launch the program and step back; the Ministry will play an active role by providing strategic direction and policy-level support to ensure the SSJ is implemented smoothly across all States. This support is funded and managed under the capacity-building component of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The entire 100-day mentorship phase, including the collaborative action plans and the improvements achieved, will be carefully evaluated in the next edition of the Swachh Survekshan. By tying the outcome of the SSJ program directly to the national ranking survey, MoHUA has ensured a high degree of accountability and motivation for both the mentor and mentee cities to succeed. The Secretary MoHUA, Shri S. Katikithala, highlighted that this platform is "dynamic" and is intended to provide hands-on guidance, with the clear aim that "every mentee city should improve their swachhata outcome by learning from the best cities."