• Swachh Survekshan of 500 cities launched. 
• Swachhata Helpline ‘1969’, Swachhata App launched to promote people’s participation
• Swachh Bharat Mission not a mere slogan, a people’s movement for Clean India.
• Minister also unveils ‘Asli Tarakki’ campaign to promote use of toilets
• 3 sanitation workers felicitated for exemplary work, RWAs, Corporates, TV artistes also honoured
• 115 cities become ‘Open Defecation Free’; 739 more cities to become ODG by March next year
• Minister of Urban Development launched ‘Swachh Suvekshan-2017’ to assess and rank 500 cities and towns based on levels of sanitation and efforts made by respective urban local bodies and also to capture progress towards achieving ‘Open Defecation Free’ status. 
• The Minister also released in New Delhi today various publications and mobile applications to help the 500 cities and towns prepare for the survey to be conducted in January next year.
• Cities will be ranked based on the reports by urban local bodies on the progress made towards construction of toilets, feedback of citizens and independent observation of sanitation levels. Cities with a population of one lakh and above each, heritage and tourism cities, capital cities with less than one lakh population are included in this survey, the second since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission.

Asli Tarakki

• Stressing on the need for behavioral change in favour of using toilets,  ‘Asli Tarakki’ campaign highlighting the need for construction of toilets and using them well is also launched.
• This campaign to be mounted on TV channels and in print media soon brings out that having two wheelers, air coolers, TV sets etc., is not ‘Asli Tarakki’ (real  development) if such people did not either have toilets or don’t use them.
• Quality Council of India which conducted the last Survey in 73 cities will conduct the survey in 500 cities and towns.

Source:PIB