The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Municipal Council Palwal (Haryana) on Sunday formalised a strategic mentorship partnership. The two bodies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ (MoHUA) flagship Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) initiative. The goal is to rapidly upgrade Palwal’s sanitation standards using NDMC’s expertise.
The signing ceremony took place at the NDMC Headquarters, Palika Kendra, coinciding with the nationwide launch of the SSJ initiative by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Manohar Lal. This initiative is central to the Union Government’s vision of “Collaboration over Competition” and “Progress Through Partnership.” NDMC, recognised as a “Super Swachh City” and a 5-Star Garbage Free City, will mentor Palwal. Palwal is an aspiring city, currently ranked 427 nationally in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25. Both municipalities fall within the 50,000–3 lakh population category.
The partnership launches a structured 100-day mentorship programme under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. NDMC’s immediate task is to guide Palwal from its current Open Defecation Free (ODF) status to the advanced ODF++ and beyond. The MoU was signed in the presence of NDMC Council Member Sarita Tomar and Secretary Tariq Thomas. Dr. Yash Pal, Chairman, and Sanjay Kumar, Executive Officer, represented the Municipal Council Palwal.
The structured mentorship is designed with measurable outcomes across three stages. It will begin with a baseline “As-Is” assessment of sanitation infrastructure, service delivery, and citizen participation. This will be followed by a Co-designed 100-Day Action Plan with specific targets. Implementation will include monthly joint monitoring and peer learning visits. Key focus areas are essential for Palwal’s upgrade. These include source segregation and doorstep collection of waste.
The partnership will also focus on community participation drives and safety and skilling of sanitation workers. NDMC officials assured Palwal of translating policy into ground action. This will involve field-based demonstrations and officer-to-officer coordination. Palwal officials expressed confidence. They believe NDMC’s mentoring will fast-track the city’s journey “from ‘Clean’ to ‘Exemplary’.” The NDMC–Palwal collaboration is being viewed as a potential model for inter-municipal cooperation. It aims to demonstrate how leading cities can effectively lift aspirational ones through structured knowledge-sharing and innovation transfer. The success of this “jodi” will set a precedent for peer-driven urban reform nationwide.