Smart Cities Mission is an innovative and new initiative by the Government of India. Read here to know all about its objectives and features.
The Smart Cities Mission was launched on 25 June 2015 and aims to enhance the quality of life in 100 selected cities by providing efficient services, robust infrastructure, and a sustainable environment.
Through smart solutions, the mission seeks to promote economic growth, inclusivity, and sustainability by focusing on the social, economic, physical, and institutional pillars of urban development.
By addressing residents’ diverse needs— from housing and transport to education, healthcare, and recreation—the mission aspires to create dynamic urban spaces that evolve to meet the aspirations of their citizens, serving as replicable models for other cities.
What is the Smart Cities Mission?
The National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal mission launched on June 25, 2015, to promote cities to provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
The purpose of the Smart Cities Mission is to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to Smart outcomes.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is the implementing ministry in collaboration with the respective state governments. It is a centrally sponsored scheme that initially included 100 cities to be covered between 2019 and 2023.
Features of the Smart Cities Mission:
The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is the major aspect of the mission.
- For this Integrated Command and Control Centres(ICCCs) were set up by the municipalities.
- The ICCCs are set up to coordinate traffic management, surveillance, utilities, and grievance redressal.
- Out of the 100 municipalities in the Smart Cities Mission, the ICCCs of 70 cities are online or operational.
- These ICCCs were converted into CoVID-19 war rooms during the peak of coronavirus pandemic for public areas surveillance, tracking positive cases and health workers, heat mapping, virtual training, etc.
The Ministry of Urban Development has identified 24 key areas that cities must address in their ‘smart cities’ plan.
- Out of these 24 key areas, three are directly related and seven are indirectly related to water such as Smart-metre management, leakage identification, preventive maintenance, and water quality modeling.
Smart Cities Mission is one of the mechanisms that will help functionalize the nationwide implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with priorities like poverty alleviation, employment, and other basic services.
Funding and implementation of the mission
In the context of our country, the six fundamental principles on which the concept of Smart Cities is based are:
- Central Government will give financial support to the extent of Rs. 48,000 crores over 5 years i.e. on an average Rs.100 crore per city per year. An equal amount on a matching basis is to be provided by the State/Urban Local Bodies (ULB).
- Additional resources are to be raised through convergence, from ULBs’ funds, grants under Finance Commission, innovative finance mechanisms such as Municipal Bonds, other government programs, and borrowings.
- Emphasis has been given to the participation of the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
- Citizens’ aspirations were captured in the Smart City Proposals (SCPs) prepared by the selected cities.
The implementation of the Mission at the City level will be done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose. The SPV will plan, appraise, approve, release funds, implement, manage, operate, monitor, and evaluate the Smart City development projects.
Each Smart City will have an SPV which will be headed by a full-time CEO and have nominees of Central Government, State Government, and ULB on its Board.
The States/ULBs shall ensure that:
- a dedicated and substantial revenue stream is made available to the SPV to make itself sustainable and could evolve its creditworthiness for raising additional resources from the market
- Government contribution for Smart City is used only to create an infrastructure that has public benefit outcomes.
The execution of projects may be done through joint ventures, subsidiaries, public-private partnerships (PPP), turnkey contracts, etc. suitably dovetailed with revenue streams.
The selection process of the smart cities
The selection process of Smart Cities was based on the idea of Competitive and Co-operative Federalism. It is for the first time in the urban history of India that cities were selected based on competition.
A two-stage selection process was followed and 100 smart cities were first distributed amongst the States and UTs based on equitable criteria.
- States/UT shortlisted potential smart cities based on certain pre-conditions and scores.
- Then each of the potential 100 smart cities prepared their Smart City Proposal (SCP) which contained the model chosen (retrofitting or redevelopment or greenfield development or a mix thereof) and additionally included a Pan-city dimension with smart solutions.
All 100 smart cities have been selected through a City Challenge Process in four rounds as below:
- 20 Smart Cities selected in Round 1 in January 2016
- 13 Smart Cities were selected in the Fast Track Round in May 2016
- 27 Smart Cities selected in Round 2 in September 2016
- 30 Smart Cities selected in Round 3 in June 2017 and
- 10 Smart Cities selected in Round 4 in January/June 2018
The Smart City Proposal (SCP) includes core-infrastructure elements such as assured water supply, electricity supply, sanitation, and solid waste management, efficient mobility and public transport, affordable housing, safety and security, health, and education.
- Smart Solutions in SCP include services that ensure that service delivery levels are achieved and measured, citizen services are seamlessly delivered, grievances are timely registered and resolved and safety is increased through video surveillance and monitoring.
Each aspiring city competes for selection as a Smart City in what is called a ‘City Challenge’. There are two stages in the selection process.
Key challenges to implementation of mission
- Infrastructure: The use of sophisticated smart technology such as sensors are a costly and high maintenance affair. Major metropolitan areas are already challenged with replacing decades-old infrastructures, such as underground wiring, steam pipes, and transportation tunnels, as well as installing high-speed internet. Broadband wireless service is increasing, but there are still areas in major cities where access is limited.
- Security and hackers: As IoT and sensor technology use expands, so does the threat level to security. These systems become more prone to hackers and cyber-attacks. Hence, more money and resources have to be invested in security
- Individual privacy: Smart cities need to balance quality of life and invasion of privacy. While citizens can enjoy a more convenient, peaceful, and healthy environment, they would not want to be constantly monitored by cameras.
- Engaging and educating citizens: For a Smart City to thrive, it needs smart citizens who are engaged and actively taking advantage of new technologies. Hence part of the implementation process must involve educating the community on its benefits.
- Social inclusion: It’s important that Smart City planning involves the consideration of all groups of people, and not just the technologically advanced. Technology should always be working to bring people together, rather than divide them further based on income or education levels. Hence the elderly and low-income groups of people should be integrated into the smart solutions.
Progress under the Smart Cities Mission
- These 100 cities are developing more than 8,000 multi-sectoral projects, amounting to approximately ₹1.6 lakh crore. Over 90% of the total projects (7,244 projects amounting to ₹1,45,312 crore) undertaken under the Smart Cities Mission have been completed. Each city has developed a diverse set of projects, many of which are unique and being implemented for the first time, thus enhancing the cities’ capabilities and experience and achieving broader transformational goals at the city level.
- 75% of projects have been completed in 75 smart cities. Across the 100 cities to date, 17 cities have achieved 100% of their projects under the mission. This is followed by 34 cities with more than 90% of projects completed and another 24 cities with more than 75% of projects completed. On the financial front, the total outlay of Central assistance for the Smart Cities Mission was ₹48,000 crore. The Central Government has already released ₹46,787 crore to 100 Smart Cities under the SCM, of which over 90% has been utilised.
- Major Projects Under the Smart Cities Mission Key Achievements of the Mission Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC): All 100 Smart Cities have operational ICCCs, which utilize data for making informed decisions. These ICCCs functioned as COVID war rooms during the pandemic and have significantly improved city operations such as transport, water supply, and solid waste management by integrating emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and Data Analytics.
- Public Safety and Security: Over 83,000 CCTV surveillance cameras have been installed in 100 Smart Cities, aiding in crime monitoring. Additionally, 1,884 emergency call boxes, 3,000 public address systems, and traffic enforcement systems for red light violations and automatic number plate recognition have been installed, enhancing public safety.
- Water Supply: More than 9,900 kilometres of the water supply system are being monitored through SCADA, reducing non-revenue water and leakages.
- Solid Waste Management: Over 50 cities are managing solid waste with increased technology use, improving route management, efficiency of collection, and daily management. Around 4,400 vehicles have been RFID-enabled for Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) to digitize and improve solid waste management efficiency.
- Streetlights: More than 52 lakh solar/LED streetlights have been installed, and over 86,000 kilometers of underground electricity cabling have been constructed.
- Mobility: Over 4,700 kilometres of smart roads have been constructed or improved, and 580 kilometres of cycle tracks have been developed. Furthermore, an Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) has been implemented and is being monitored through ICCCs, improving traffic operations, enforcing traffic violations, and reducing journey time.
- Affordable Housing and Shelter: 49,300 dwelling units have been constructed, along with 1,562 rooms in community housing projects such as Rain Basera, hostels (noneducational), and night shelters under the Mission.
- Vibrant Public Spaces: Over 1,300 parks, green spaces, and lakefront/riverfront promenades have been developed or are under development.
- Education: 7,654 smart classrooms and 40 digital libraries have been developed.
- Health: 172 e-health centres and clinics (without dedicated beds) have been developed, and 155 health ATMs also have been installed.
- Economic Hubs: 21 incubation centres/skill development centres have been developed, and over 56 market redevelopment projects have been completed.
- PPP: More than 50 cities have successfully developed or are developing 199 projects through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) worth ₹9,200 crore.
Conclusion
The Mission has continually adapted to emerging needs, providing cities with the flexibility to respond effectively.
For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic raised global awareness about the importance of open spaces for active and healthy lifestyles, the Mission launched campaigns such as India’s ‘Cycles4Change’ and ‘Streets4People’ in a challenge format.
To ensure that even the most vulnerable citizens have access to public spaces, especially young children and caregivers, cities participated in ‘Placemaking Marathons’ and the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’.
Other challenges like ‘Transport4All’ and ‘EatSmartCities’ are promoting startups in public transport and improving food hygiene in smart cities, respectively.
Only 10% of the remaining projects are at the implementation stage. Some of these projects have been delayed due to legal issues, delays in obtaining clearances from different departments, land acquisition challenges, construction in hilly areas, and challenges in vendor and resource availability in small and medium cities.
Following multiple requests from State governments and Members of Parliament, the mission period has been extended to 31st March 2025 to complete the ongoing projects.
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