Indore has been honored as the best city and Madhya Pradesh as the best state in the India Smart Cities Mission Awards 2022, as announced by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Friday. The awards also recognized Surat and Agra as the second and third-best cities, while Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh secured the second and third-best state positions. A total of 66 winners across various categories were revealed, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for September 27, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the prizes in Indore.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri expressed his congratulations to Madhya Pradesh for earning the 'Best State Award' through a message on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The selection of winning cities was based on their performance in terms of project outcomes, progress, and presentations made for the awards. Indore's consistent ranking as the cleanest city in the country for six years under the Swachh Bharat Mission has been a noteworthy achievement. Madhya Pradesh was also recognized as the cleanest state in Swachh Survekshan 2022.

The Smart Cities Awards 2022 recognized outstanding projects in various categories. Coimbatore's initiative to develop model roads and restore lakes received recognition in the built environment category, while Jabalpur's incubation center was honored in the economics category. Chandigarh secured top positions in mobility and governance with its public bike sharing and e-government services. Chandigarh also won the first prize in the Union Territory division.

One of the significant accomplishments of the Smart Cities Mission has been the implementation of Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC) in all 100 smart cities. These centers serve as the operational hub for urban management, enhancing services in areas like crime tracking, citizen safety, transport management, waste management, water supply, and disaster management. The mission has seen progress, with 76% completion of proposed projects worth Rs. 1.10 lakh crore among the 100 selected cities. Remaining projects valued at Rs. 60,095 crore are expected to be completed by June 30, 2024, following an extension of the mission's deadline. Indore again bags title of ‘India’s cleanest city’: Generates 1,900 tons of waste/day & earns crores from it