Patna: Bihar has emerged as the top-performing state in eastern India in the Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2025, while Bhagalpur has been recognised as the best-performing district in the region for rural sanitation.According to the survey report released by the department of drinking water and sanitation under the Union ministry of Jal Shakti, Bihar secured the top rank in the eastern region on parameters such as toilet access and usage, solid and liquid waste management, rural cleanliness and community participation in sanitation drives. Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal followed Bihar in the rankings.The achievement has been attributed to sustained awareness campaigns and sanitation initiatives under the Lohiya Swachh Bihar Abhiyan run by the rural development department.Officials said more than 1.30 lakh sanitation workers deployed at ward level and over 8,000 sanitation supervisors working at gram panchayat level played a major role in maintaining cleanliness, door-to-door waste collection and scientific waste disposal in rural areas.The survey noted Bihar’s progress in toilet construction and usage, household waste collection systems and community-led sanitation initiatives. Active participation of Jeevika Didis and rural communities helped turn the sanitation campaign into a mass movement.Under Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2025, surveys were conducted in 744 districts and 20,659 villages across 33 states and Union Territories. More than 3.22 lakh rural households and over 1.03 lakh public institutions and community facilities were assessed.Rural development department principal secretary Pankaj Kumar said Bihar had gone beyond infrastructure creation by linking sanitation with behavioural change and community participation.“Continuous awareness campaigns, regular monitoring and sustained efforts at Panchayat level have yielded positive outcomes,” Pankaj said.Lohiya Swachh Bihar Abhiyan mission director and Jeevika CEO Himanshu Sharma described the recognition as a major achievement for the state.“Huge work has been done in waste management over the last few years. The credit goes to Gram Panchayat representatives and rural communities,” Himanshu said, adding that sanitation remained a continuous process and awareness-based initiatives would be strengthened further.
