PRAGATI-50 is a new central initiative to develop 50 model cities across 24 states, launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. The goal is to create urban benchmarks the rest of the country can copy.

The 50 cities will be judged on sanitation, solid and liquid waste management, water supply and citizen participation. Regular assessments will track progress, and officials say results will be published to keep municipal bodies accountable.

The cities were chosen to cover different geographies and population sizes, from large metros to smaller towns, so that solutions can be adapted widely. The ministry believes competition between cities will drive faster improvement, much as Swachh Survekshan rankings did.

For residents, the programme could mean cleaner streets, better waste collection, more reliable water supply and stronger grievance redressal. The initiative’s success will depend on sustained funding, state cooperation and follow-through by urban local bodies.