Srinagar, Feb 16 (IANS): Srinagar district in Jammu and Kashmir has attained first rank among 156 districts in the country under the Swach Sarvekshan Grameen with a score of 137.70, officials said on Thursday.

"Srinagar district has topped by scoring better than Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, which came second by achieving a score of 133.02 points followed by Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh with score of 115.38," an official statement said.

The Swachh Survekshan Grameen is a ranking exercise taken up by the Government of India to assess rural areas for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation of the Swachhata mission initiatives in a timely and innovative manner.

It was launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which is aimed to make India clean and free of open defecation.

Speaking about the achievement, Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, said that this is a proud moment for Srinagar district which has been achieved through collective efforts.