Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that Andhra Pradesh will be garbage-free by January 1, 2026, during the Swachh Andhra Awards 2025 in Vijayawada. Invoking Gandhiji’s belief that cleanliness is akin to God, he urged citizens to keep their surroundings clean.

Naidu criticised the previous government for imposing a garbage tax and neglecting waste management, which left 85 lakh metric tonnes of garbage across the state. He said the NDA government abolished the tax and set a target to clear it by October 2, which was achieved by Swachh Sainiks.

The remaining 30 lakh tonnes will be removed by December.

Hailing sanitation workers as true patriots, Naidu personally saluted them and praised Thaudu Raju from Saluru for promoting waste segregation awareness.

Awards were presented to Swachh Sainiks, with 75 State-level awards across 21 categories and 1,257 district-level awards, recognizing their dedication to a clean and green Andhra Pradesh.