Chandigarh, Sept. 4 -- Launching Swachh Ward Ranking 2026, a month-long cleanliness competition that will see the Municipal Corporation (MC) wards assessed on 55 parameters, Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday called for cleanliness to become a public movement rather than mere a government responsibility. The assessment will cover the entire waste-management chain - garbage generation, door-to-door collection, transportation, processing, recycling, reuse and final disposal. Public toilets, parks, markets, single-use plastic control, bulk waste generators, zero-waste initiatives and citizen participation will also form part of the assessment. MC Commissioner Amit Kumar said the ranking would be based on a structured 1,000-mark framework covering 55 parameters, with the aim of identifying gaps at ward level and encouraging wards to replicate successful practices. The competition will conclude on October 2, when the winning wards will be honoured. Under the proposed incentive mechanism, the first three Platinum Wards will be eligible for development grants of Rs.50 lakh, Rs.30 lakh and Rs.20 lakh, respectively. This will encourage encourage healthy competition, Kataria said. He also directed the MC to explore conducting the ranking twice a year, or even monthly if feasible. Calling councillors "key facilitators", the administrator urged them to bring together sanitation workers, resident welfare associations, market associations, educational institutions, youth organisations and residents in their respective wards. He said residents must make source segregation and responsible waste disposal daily habits. He also called for wider adoption of reduce, reuse and recycle, composting and the waste-to-wealth and circular economy approach to reduce the amount of waste reaching final disposal sites. The initiative includes School Star Awards, under which the top three schools, promoting waste segregation, environmental sustainability and student participation, will get Rs.51,000, Rs.31,000 and Rs.21,000, respectively. Kataria urged schools and colleges to turn students into "swachhta ambassadors" who can carry the message of responsible waste management into their homes and communities. Kataria stressed the need to ensure sanitation workers' dignity, safety, training, protective equipment and health safeguards, while promoting mechanisation and modern technology for hazardous work. Mayor Saurabh Joshi said every ward had different challenges, and the ranking would encourage local stakeholders to find practical solutions. Deputy mayor Suman Sharma, home secretary-cum-local government secretary Mandip Singh Brar, councillors, MC officials among others were present....