New Delhi: Telangana secured the first prize under the Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022, Haryana won the second prize while Tamil Nadu was third.

Telangana state won the award in the large states (population of over 30 lakh) category of SSG which looks into the sanitation status of rural areas. President Droupadi Murmu gave away the awards at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Sunday.

Andaman & Nicobar secured the top position in small states/Union Territories (population less than 30 Lakhs) followed by Daman and Diu & Dadar Nagar Haveli in the second place and Sikkim took the third place.

Under Swachh Survekshan Grameen, the top three districts of India are Bhiwani (Haryana), Jagtial (Telangana) and Nizamabad (Telangana) respectively.

The Swachh Survekshan Gramin-2022 award is given by the Jal Shakti ministry. The ministry ranks states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) parameters and engagement of the rural community in improvement of their sanitation status.

Speaking on the occasion, Murmu stressed on the need to build a clean, healthy and self-reliant India. She said at the beginning of Jal Jeevan Mission, only 3.23 crore rural households had tap water supply, which has increased to 10.27 crore in three years. The access to tap water has led to a significant reduction in water-borne diseases in recent years.

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The President noted that since the launch of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin’ in 2014, more than 11 crore toilets have been constructed and about 60 crore people have changed their habit of open defecation.

President Droupadi Murmu graced the Swachh Bharat Diwas celebrations organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The President also presented Swachh Survekshan Grameen awards in various categories.

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Murmu further said the government is implementing the second phase of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin’, which aims to make all six lakh villages of the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus.