NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Urban Affairs honoured 30 businesses at the Swachhata Startup Conclave who were offering innovative solutions for the cleanliness of Indian cities, giving Indian startups in the sanitation and waste management sector a boost.

The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban-sponsored Conclave included creative responses to a range of issues, including social inclusion, zero dump, plastic waste management, and transparency through digital enablement.

Nearly 400 people participated in the event, including leaders from leading startups and unicorns in the field, city administrators, state government officials, investors, academia, government bodies and industries, sector partners, industry experts, and representatives from DPIIT, in addition to the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kaushal Kishore said that with the beginning of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambition of having a clean India has taken the form of a "Jan Andolan." This mission's efforts to recycle waste and turn it into valuable products may not only contribute to the development of garbage-free cities but also to the widespread creation of jobs.

Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary MoHUA and National Mission Director, SBM - Urban, discussed the scope and size of the aim of Garbage Free Cities envisioned in SBM 2.0, as well as the role necessary to be performed by various stakeholders in reaching that goal, during the Conclave's inaugural session.

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