Story in numbers: 8 years on, smart cities mission still smarting

Lack of capacity, unclear priorities, and disruptions due to pandemic have slowed its progress

In its report in March this calendar year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs noted that 68 per cent, or 5,343 of 7,821, projects were completed under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM).

The city-wise numbers show that the mission still has a long way to go.

Some cities reported excess projects being implemented, while others were yet to complete the originally planned projects.

SCM was launched in June 2015, with the expressed objective of promoting cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to their citizens, a clean and sustainable environment, and the application of ‘smart’ solutions.

 

However, the absence of a concrete definition of a ‘smart’ city leaves a wide room for its interpretation.

Sixty-six of the 100 ‘smart cities’ are yet to meet their physical targets eight years after the flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government was first launched, while one city completed exactly the number of projects planned.

As part of the scheme, financial support amounting to Rs. 48,000 crore was pledged by the Union government over five years, with every city being provided with a grant of Rs. 100 crore per year, subject to a matching share being contributed by state governments.

Of the total pledged financial support, Rs. 37,410.43 crore had already been provided by the Union government as of March 2023, reveals government data, of which 88.4 per cent, or Rs. 33,074.4 crore, has been utilised by states.

Notwithstanding the utilisation of central government funds, work on smart cities has not been able to progress due to multiple roadblocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic breakout, multi-sectoral projects, and land issues.

Source: IndiaSpend