‘Don’t Compare Apples With Oranges’: Anoop Nautiyal on Swachh Survekshan Rankings Confusion
Dehradun, July 17:
Social development practitioner and founder of Social Development for Communities Foundation, Anoop Nautiyal, has raised concerns over the misleading interpretation of the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024 rankings in Uttarakhand.
In a detailed clarification issued today Nautiyal urged civic bodies, political leaders, and media houses to refrain from drawing inaccurate comparisons with last year’s performance.
“Swachh Survekshan is a dynamic tool—it changes every year,” Nautiyal said, pointing out that the scoring system, population categories, and evaluation parameters undergo major revisions annually.
“In 2023, cities were scored out of 9,500 marks. In 2024, the maximum marks have gone up to 12,500.
That’s a 32% increase,” he added. “So, a city that scored 5,000 marks last year would be at par with 6,600 marks this year. A direct comparison of marks is simply incorrect.”
Nautiyal also flagged the significant change in population categories used for ranking cities.
“Last year, 446 cities were grouped under the 1–10 lakh population bracket. Dehradun was ranked 68th, Haridwar 176th, Roorkee 180th, and so on.
But this year, the bracket has changed to 3–10 lakh population.
Without knowing how many cities fall under this new category, it’s premature to claim whether a city’s rank has improved or worsened.”
According to Nautiyal, such structural shifts in methodology make it dangerous to draw simplistic conclusions from rank or score movements.
“We’ve seen a pattern where ULBs, local authorities, and political leaders manipulate these results to paint a rosy picture, misleading both citizens and the media,” he warned.
He concluded by saying that it’s essential to understand the evolving nature of the Swachh Survekshan assessment before making public claims.
“We must encourage informed dialogue, not spin narratives for convenience.”
Nautiyal also shared the detailed 2023 Swachh Survekshan report to provide a point of reference for accurate comparisons.