Sonipat, September 27 – The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) initiative, a large-scale mentorship programme pairing 72 mentor cities with nearly 200 mentee cities.
The move is based on Swachh Survekshan rankings, where top-performing cities have been selected to mentor low-ranking ones. The initiative was rolled out under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) by Union Minister Manohar Lal, in the presence of MoS Tokhan Sahu, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, and senior officials.
At the national event in Sonipat, nearly 300 MoUs were signed simultaneously, marking the start of a 100-day mentorship programme. During this period, mentor and mentee cities will jointly prepare action plans with measurable milestones to improve sanitation and waste management outcomes.
A Time-Bound Mentorship Framework
The SSJ initiative is being described as one of the largest structured mentorship arrangements in the urban waste management sector. Mentor cities are drawn from the Super Swachh League, which includes top performers from Swachh Survekshan 2022, 2023, and 2024. Mentee cities were identified from the lowest ranks in their respective states.
Union Minister Manohar Lal stressed the “Antyodaya spirit”, saying no city should be left behind. “SSJ is not ceremonial; it is time-bound and outcome-driven. It will strengthen capacity building and ensure knowledge transfer for all stakeholders,” he said.
Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building
Secretary MoHUA, S. Katikithala, joined virtually, describing SSJ as a dynamic platform for knowledge-sharing, mentoring, and handholding. He emphasised that mentee cities will directly learn from the best-performing cities to improve their swachhata outcomes.
The Ministry will provide strategic and policy-level support while ensuring that the results are reflected in Swachh Survekshan 2026. The aim is to scale up successful models of waste management and citizen engagement across urban India.