**Vijayawada Designated as Mentor City for Five Smaller Cities under Swachh City Jodi Initiative**
Vijayawada, awarded the prestigious Super Swachh City tag in the Swachh Survekshan 2024, has been designated as a mentor city for five smaller cities in Andhra Pradesh under the Central Government’s Swachh City Jodi initiative.
The five mentee cities paired with Vijayawada are Narsapur, Samarlakota, Akividu, Chintalapudi, and Gollaprolu.
In line with directives from Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Dhyanachandra H. M., a meeting was held on Saturday to formalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among these cities under the initiative. The MoU signing took place during a video conference supervised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, with all mentor and mentee cities participating to mark the collaboration.
The Swachh City Jodi 2025 initiative pairs high-performing cities (mentor cities) with lower-ranking ones (mentee cities) for a 100-day period. During this time, the cities work together to implement steps aimed at improving cleanliness and sanitation. Cities that excelled in Swachh Survekshan 2024, like Vijayawada, act as mentors, guiding and supporting their paired mentee cities to achieve better performance in these areas.
Speaking after the MoU exchange, Additional Commissioner (Projects) of VMC, D. Chandrashekhar, emphasized that Vijayawada and the five partner cities would collaborate intensively over the next 100 days to meet their goals. “The present condition of the mentee cities will be assessed first, followed by guidance on all necessary measures to enhance their cleanliness and sanitation standards,” he stated.
The signing event was also attended by VMC Chief Medical Officer of Health K. Arjuna Rao, Assistant Medical Health Officer Babu Srinivas, and the Commissioners of the five mentee cities: M. Anjayya, A. Srividya, G. Krishnamohan, A. Rambabu, along with Gollaprolu’s Assistant Engineer Mohammad Aleesha.
This collaborative effort aims to uplift sanitation standards across the region, fostering a cleaner and healthier environment for all residents.
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