Delhi's cleanest municipal ward will get Rs 1 crore every month under a new year-long competition announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday.
But there is a catch. A complaint about garbage in a ward could put it out of the race.
The Chief Minister said wards will be judged using reports from an independent agency, assessments submitted by officials and complaints received from residents or flagged on social media.
How Delhi's Cleanest Ward Will Be Picked
The Rs 1 crore award will go to the ward ranked the cleanest that month. A ward could receive up to Rs 12 crore in CMDF funds over the course of the year, according to the Chief Minister's Office.
The competition was announced as Ms Gupta launched the 'Delhi Ko Kude Se Azadi-Swachhta Abhiyan 2026' at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi headquarters. The wider cleanliness campaign will run until October 2, while the ward-level competition will continue for 12 months.
Gupta said the money would be linked to performance and warned that a garbage complaint could affect a ward's eligibility.
"Cleanliness is not the responsibility of any one department or agency, but a shared responsibility of every citizen," she said.
The Chief Minister said Delhi continues to face problems with garbage and waste processing, which over the years contributed to the city's landfill mountains.
The new campaign will focus on what the government calls the "Four Cs" of waste management - collection, cleaning, conversion and circular economy.
The plan includes segregation of waste at source, collection from garbage points, processing and disposal at waste facilities and action at locations where waste continues to accumulate.
Special Cleanliness Drives Across Delhi
Several area-specific drives have also been scheduled over the coming weeks.
Cleanliness drives in slum clusters will be held on August 23 and 30 and September 6 and 13. Public toilets will be taken up for additional cleaning on Saturdays and Sundays.
Parks will be targeted for removal of green waste between September 1 and 10, while a cleanliness drive at government hospitals is scheduled for September 17.
Government schools will take part in the 'Mera School, Sabse Sundar' competition from September 17 to October 2. A zero-waste campus drive is also planned in schools.
The Chief Minister said 70 mechanical sweeping machines, additional litter-picker vehicles for wards and 125 secondary collection centres for construction and demolition waste are also being developed.
What Civic Bodies Have Been Asked To Do
The Urban Development Department has asked the MCD, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Cantonment Board and other departments to draw up action plans covering markets, hospitals, schools, industrial areas and other public spaces.
The schedule also includes cleaning roads and footpaths, back lanes, community centres, public toilets and areas around railway tracks and the Ring Road.
Departments have been asked to keep photographic records of the work carried out and submit progress reports to the Urban Development Department every Monday.
