In New Delhi on November 27, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) teamed up with the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur to unveil a new cohort of 32 companies that will tackle sanitation and waste‑management challenges.
The unveiling took place during the Swachhata Startup Conclave in the capital, where Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Tokán Sahu, formally launched the group. Speaking there, Sahu highlighted how the Swachh Bharat Mission‑Urban (SBM‑U) has reshaped India’s waste‑management scene over the last decade, moving from old‑school methods to advanced, technology‑driven systems.
He added that startups are pivotal in this shift, providing fresh ideas that help cities stay cleaner and run more efficiently. The minister also announced that the ministry is creating a national platform to connect these firms with local bodies, investors and other stakeholders, making it easier to pinpoint problems and scale home‑grown solutions.
India already hosts more than 100 unicorns and has a vibrant culture of innovation that extends beyond the major metros into smaller cities. The waste‑management arena reflects this trend, with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) registering over 5,000 startups. These companies are driving sustainability and better service delivery through new tools and technologies.
Since its 2014 launch, the Swachh Bharat Mission‑Urban has redefined India’s sanitation landscape. Its second phase is focused on building garbage‑free cities by championing waste segregation, recycling, circular‑economy models and heightened safety standards for sanitation workers.
Startups play a key role, delivering solutions from automated manhole cleaning and waste‑tracking systems to recycling‑based businesses and innovative collection models. To nurture these innovations, MoHUA introduced the Swachhata Startup Challenge in 2022.
The first cohort attracted more than 230 applications, from which 30 startups secured funding and mentorship. These firms have since achieved impressive results—processing over 30 million litres of wastewater, handling more than 63,000 metric tonnes of waste, removing 15,000 metric tonnes of street garbage, and managing 200 metric tonnes of biodegradable waste. Together, they’ve reached a valuation exceeding ₹500 crore and created over 2,000 jobs.
The second cohort drew in excess of 400 applications, and 32 startups were selected to join the program.
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