Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana said that the state has once again demonstrated its strength in the Swachh Survekshan national awards. On Thursday, he addressed a press conference at the media point in the CII Summit premises, along with M. Suresh Kumar, Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, and Ketan Garg, Commissioner, Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. On this occasion, Minister Narayana said it is a matter of pride that Andhra Pradesh won six of the 60 awards announced across the country this year. He noted that it is especially significant that Visakhapatnam secured the number one position in the country in the category of cities with a population of over one million. He specially congratulated the Visakhapatnam City Commissioner, municipal staff, the Mayor, corporators, officials of the departments concerned and representatives of the Swachha Andhra Corporation who worked for this success. He pointed out that last year 79 awards were announced nationwide and Andhra Pradesh won five, and that this time, even though the number of awards was reduced to 60, the state won six, which is remarkable. He explained that the 60 awards announced nationwide include some special categories, with separate competitions held for hill stations and riverfront cities. He said that, against this backdrop, the state recorded a 25 percent success rate by winning six awards out of the 24 award categories available to its 123 municipalities.
