Overview

• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the programme at a national event in Sonipat with mentor–mentee MoUs signed across the country.
• MoHUA says 72 mentor cities have been paired with about 200 mentee cities, with nearly 300 MoUs executed to formalise the collaborations.
• A 100-day phase now begins in which each pairing will craft time-bound action plans with defined milestones under MoHUA oversight and support.
• Outcomes from this mentorship cycle will be evaluated in the Swachh Survekshan 2026 rankings as part of the mission’s accountability framework.
• Mentor cities were drawn from Super Swachh League and top Swachh Survekshan performers, while mentee cities were selected from lower state rankings with focus on eight areas: visible cleanliness, segregation and transport, scientific processing, sanitation access, used water management, mechanised desludging, citizen advocacy, and grievance redressal.