The national smart city mission is one of the earliest development initiatives taken by the NDA Government in June 2015. It is an ambitious challenge that proclaims the innovative vision of PM Narendra Modi. A smart city provides the core infrastructure, enabling its citizens to enjoy a decent quality of life and a sustainable environment through the application of smart technologies. 

The concept of smart city development goes back to 1972 with the project A Cluster Analysis of Los Angeles. Gradually, several countries worldwide followed the concept based on their criteria of development, aspiration, and need for reformation. In 2011, Barcelona hosted the world’s first Smart City Expo Congress attended by 6000 visitors from 50 countries. 

India’s Smart Cities Mission aims to convert 100 Indian cities into smart cities. Let’s delve into the objectives, strategy, and results of this mission.

The Objectives of Smart City Mission in India:

The smart city mission aims to develop modern, efficient, sustainable urban places. It also paves the way for the growth of the economy through innovation and leveraging technology. The core elements that determine a smart city in India are:

• Assured water supply
• Adequate electricity supply
• Efficient sanitation, including solid waste management
• Efficient urban mobility and public transport
• Affordable housing, especially for the poor
• Robust internet connectivity and effective digitalization
• Good governance, especially e-governance, and citizen participation in national issues
• Ensuring sustainable environment
• Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children, and the elderly
• Improved health service and education system

The Motivation Behind The Smart City Mission

In India, nearly 31% of the population lives in urban areas and contributes 63% of the country’s GDP. By 2030, 40% of the population will live in urban areas, contributing 75% of GDP. This enhanced urban population will need a comprehensive social and economic infrastructure to attract investment in the city. The smart city mission is an effective means to fulfill this requirement.

The Strategy & Selection Process of Smart Cities in India

The area-based strategic elements in the Smart Cities Mission are city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment), and city extension (greenfield development). Additionally, an initiative has been taken to build pan cities covering larger parts of the city.

Several cities across the nation have passed four competitive rounds to be included in the smart city mission. However, there was no prescribed model to be followed by the cities. Besides, the procedure was not the same for all. Each city has the leverage to create its concept, vision, mission, and strategy for a Smart City that matches its local context, resources, and endeavor. Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Jaipur, Indore, etc are the top smart cities in India. Further, Indore has  won the best smart city award in the Smart City Conclave held in September 2023.

The Government has allotted Rs 720000 Crore on the project till date. 93% of the budget goes to the infrastructure, 5%  to administrative costs, and 2% to the related expenditure. The funding for this mission is based on a 50:50 rule, which means the center will carry 50% and the states will carry 50% of the expenditure. A special-purpose vehicle has been formed to fulfill the mission. The SPV has the right to plan, approve, release funds, and evaluate the mission progress.

Current Status of the Smart City Mission

As per the report furnished by the Ministry of Housing and Urban development, out of 7,978 projects for 100 smart cities,  5,909 projects have been completed, accounting for 74% of the success of this mission. The center has extended the deadline to complete the mission to June 2024. Moreover, the Smart Cities Mission has received Rs 2,400 crore fund in the interim Budget against Rs 8,000 crore in the 2023-24 General Budget.

Other Missions Developed Under The Smart City 

The success of a mission is based on the development and integration of various social and economic infrastructure. The below Government projects have been initiated to achieve success in the smart city mission.

• AMRUT – Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 
• HRIDAY – Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana
• Make In India
• Digital India
• Sawch Bharat Abhiyan
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojona

Top Three Successful Smart City Projects in the Country

The smart city mission has anticipated some great results, and below are some of the projects that have made the headlines.

Data Centre Strengthening and Disaster Recovery (DR) Site in Surat

The Indian Government of India has partnered with  corporate organizations to launch various e-governance infrastructure to meet the demand for online services. These services need data centers and so the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has developed the data center and Infrastructure for Data Recovery.

Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) in Surat

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has introduced an advanced public transportation system with the help of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). This new smart initiative will make it easy for both travelers to pay and authorities to collect fares without any hassle. The SMC also has the master plan to launch 2,000 public city buses and 300 BRTS buses to comply with this new system in the upcoming three years.   

Visakhapatnam’s Smart Streets

Visakhapatnam has started the Smart Cities Mission by constructing smart streets. The pilot project includes construction of 7 kilometers of Waltair Road and Chinna Waltair Road. The project will accommodate wide roadways, cycling ways, pedestrian lighting, landscaped corridors, and tree plantation.

The upcoming Big Smart City Projects in India

• Amaravati Smart City – Foster + Partners
• Port Blair Smart City – Morphogenesis
• Dholera Special Investment Region  – AECOM
• Karle Town Centre (Bangalore) – UNStudio
• Trans Ganga Masterplan (Kanpur) – Studio Symbiosis
• Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) Project – Pentaspace
• Guwahati Smart City – Oasis Designs
• Pune Smart City Vision Plan – Swapnil Patil + Partners
• Rajkot Smart City – INI Design Studio Pvt. Ltd.
• Bhubaneswar Smart City Plan – Arcadis IBI Group

Conclusion:  The major objectives of the smart city mission is to enhance the living standard of the citizens and boost the economic growth by applying advanced technologies. The mission has selected 100 cities across the nation through strategic competitions to convert them into smart cities. The mission is administered by a special purpose vehicle which plans, releases funds, and evaluates the work progress. The funding for this mission is based on a 50:50 rule, which means the center will carry 50% and the states will carry 50% of the expenditure. The center has released Rs 7200000 crore till date of which Rs 164000 crore has been used completing 74% of the mission project. 

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