In a massive show of community spirit for Swachh Bharat goals, HCLFoundation teamed up with Noida Authority to host Swachhata Mela 2026 here on Wednesday.

The event, held under the guidance of Noida Authority CEO Krishna Karunesh IAS, brought together over 5,000 people — school students, teachers, RWAs, sanitation workers, urban village residents, NGOs and officials — to celebrate the city’s strides in cleanliness and sustainable living.

Vandana Tripathi IAS, Additional CEO of Noida Authority, graced the occasion as chief guest. She stressed that lasting cleanliness needs strong systems, efficient services and active public participation. “In partnership with HCLFoundation, we are strengthening waste management while honouring sanitation workers. Swachhata Mela offers a key platform to engage communities and promote responsible behaviour for long-term clean-city goals,” she said.

The mela featured lively panel discussions and expert talks on waste segregation, circular economy and changing citizen habits. Students and community groups enthralled the crowd with cultural performances.

A special Swachhata Exhibition spotlighted the achievements of HCLFoundation’s My Clean City programme, showing real progress in sanitation, waste handling and behaviour change — thanks to strong backing from Noida Authority.

A moving highlight was the felicitation of sanitation workers (safai karamcharis), school students, teachers and Waste Champions for their tireless efforts in keeping Noida and Greater Noida spotless. Sanitation kits were handed out to more than 5,100 safai karamcharis.

Participating schools under the My Clean City Waste Champion programme were also honoured for spreading awareness and inspiring young citizens to act.

Dr Nidhi Pundhir, Senior Vice President, Global CSR at HCLTech and Director, HCLFoundation, said: “Sustainable urban change comes from strong partnerships and empowered people. Cleanliness goes beyond infrastructure — it’s about shared responsibility, dignity and trust. Through My Clean City, we drive large-scale behaviour change, and Swachhata Mela 2026 shows our dedication to inclusive, citizen-led solutions for resilient cities. I express heartfelt thanks to all Noida sanitation workers who keep our city shining.”

My Clean City is transforming urban sanitation in Noida and Greater Noida with science-based waste practices and wide community involvement. So far, it has sensitised nearly 750,000 citizens on good waste habits, trained over 61,000 stakeholders, and managed more than 50,000 tons of waste.

Key tech boosts include the Integrated Control and Command Center (ICCC) for operations, HomoSep robots for safe manhole/septic tank cleaning, and E-garbage loaders for efficient collection. Over 2,400 school students are active in the My Clean City Waste Champions Club.

The event reinforced how collective action can create cleaner, greener urban spaces across India.