Just days after the NDA government came to power in May last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear about his vision to build 100 smart cities in the country that will attract maximum investments and professional expertise for second and third-tier cities.
Smart City concept will provide the first road-map to the Indian cities and towns of how they need to be developed to comply with future challenges of urbanization and depleting land resources. The cities are aimed to set new benchmarks in construction designs, infrastructure development, latest technologies and other modern amenities.
While the Union Cabinet has recently approved the proposal of Rupees 48,000 crore for the Smart Cities Mission to be given over the next 5 years, here are the top 7 things to know about Narendra Modi's vision of 100 smart cities in India:
1. City Challenge Competition: Each Smart City aspirant will be selected through a 'City Challenge Competition' that will evaluate the resources and financial ability of the city, and decide whether it could achieve the mission's objective or not. Each state will recommend some cities that could be built under the banner of Smart Cities Mission and go for further evaluation.
2. Rupees 100 crore each year: Each selected city will get Rupees 100 crore per year for the duration of 5 years from the government. The remaining money for infrastructure development comes from FDI, private bodies and state administration. The central government will provide assistance to the extent of 50 per cent of the total cost of the project in cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakh and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakh.
3. At least one Smart City in every state: The government is very clear in its approach to prepare grounds for infrastructure development across the country. For this, a Special Purpose Vehicle is proposed that will look after the implementation of Smart City action plan in each selected city. The government proposed to build at least one smart city in every state of the country.
4. Smart Cities Council India: Smart Cities Council India is a part of US-based Smart Cities Council whose prime responsibility is to promote development of smart cities in the country. The US-based council has over 100 members consisting of smart city practitioners and experts with operation in over 140 countries.
5. Best utilization of resources: The main reason of building Smart Cities is the proper and best utilization of natural resources and blending technology and infrastructure with available assets. Smart Cities will offer a clean and sustainable environment, adequate and clean water supply, sanitation, e-governance facilities, efficient public transport, power supply, solid waste management and robust IT connectivity. The cities will also aim to provide better health facilities and safety and security to the citizens.
6. Most beneficial cities: The most beneficial cities among 100 Smart Cities would be those who can get maximum work done in the allocated budget of Rupees 500 crore over the next five years. Cities like Varanasi, Vizag, Ajmer, etc. will gain the most while Mumbai and other metropolitan cities won't get much support from the allocated budget as they require vast infrastructure development that won't be possible in the allocated amount alone.
7. AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission: The Union Cabinet has approved the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation of 500 cities (AMRUT) for the development and promotion of smart cities in India. While the former focuses on building 100 smart cities in the country, the latter prepares ground for small towns and villages to become future-ready for such development projects.
Mr. Anil Mithas, Chairman & Managing Director at Unnati Fortune Group says, “The first step for implementing Smart Cities Mission is to identify 100 potential cities and prepare a comprehensive strategy on which the development work could be initiated. The cities should have basic infrastructure and resources like land, water, electricity, etc. that can further be enhanced with the use of latest technologies and infrastructure plans.”
Mr. Anil Mithas added that the initiatives taken by the current government for infrastructure development in the country will help in bringing lots of optimism back into the real estate sector and boost investment in residential and commercial projects in Noida in the future.
Smart City concept will provide the first road-map to the Indian cities and towns of how they need to be developed to comply with future challenges of urbanization and depleting land resources. The cities are aimed to set new benchmarks in construction designs, infrastructure development, latest technologies and other modern amenities.
While the Union Cabinet has recently approved the proposal of Rupees 48,000 crore for the Smart Cities Mission to be given over the next 5 years, here are the top 7 things to know about Narendra Modi's vision of 100 smart cities in India:
1. City Challenge Competition: Each Smart City aspirant will be selected through a 'City Challenge Competition' that will evaluate the resources and financial ability of the city, and decide whether it could achieve the mission's objective or not. Each state will recommend some cities that could be built under the banner of Smart Cities Mission and go for further evaluation.
2. Rupees 100 crore each year: Each selected city will get Rupees 100 crore per year for the duration of 5 years from the government. The remaining money for infrastructure development comes from FDI, private bodies and state administration. The central government will provide assistance to the extent of 50 per cent of the total cost of the project in cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakh and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakh.
3. At least one Smart City in every state: The government is very clear in its approach to prepare grounds for infrastructure development across the country. For this, a Special Purpose Vehicle is proposed that will look after the implementation of Smart City action plan in each selected city. The government proposed to build at least one smart city in every state of the country.
4. Smart Cities Council India: Smart Cities Council India is a part of US-based Smart Cities Council whose prime responsibility is to promote development of smart cities in the country. The US-based council has over 100 members consisting of smart city practitioners and experts with operation in over 140 countries.
5. Best utilization of resources: The main reason of building Smart Cities is the proper and best utilization of natural resources and blending technology and infrastructure with available assets. Smart Cities will offer a clean and sustainable environment, adequate and clean water supply, sanitation, e-governance facilities, efficient public transport, power supply, solid waste management and robust IT connectivity. The cities will also aim to provide better health facilities and safety and security to the citizens.
6. Most beneficial cities: The most beneficial cities among 100 Smart Cities would be those who can get maximum work done in the allocated budget of Rupees 500 crore over the next five years. Cities like Varanasi, Vizag, Ajmer, etc. will gain the most while Mumbai and other metropolitan cities won't get much support from the allocated budget as they require vast infrastructure development that won't be possible in the allocated amount alone.
7. AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission: The Union Cabinet has approved the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation of 500 cities (AMRUT) for the development and promotion of smart cities in India. While the former focuses on building 100 smart cities in the country, the latter prepares ground for small towns and villages to become future-ready for such development projects.
Mr. Anil Mithas, Chairman & Managing Director at Unnati Fortune Group says, “The first step for implementing Smart Cities Mission is to identify 100 potential cities and prepare a comprehensive strategy on which the development work could be initiated. The cities should have basic infrastructure and resources like land, water, electricity, etc. that can further be enhanced with the use of latest technologies and infrastructure plans.”
Mr. Anil Mithas added that the initiatives taken by the current government for infrastructure development in the country will help in bringing lots of optimism back into the real estate sector and boost investment in residential and commercial projects in Noida in the future.