{"id":116,"date":"2025-05-26T12:03:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T12:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/?p=116"},"modified":"2025-05-26T12:03:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T12:03:02","slug":"indias-smart-cities-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/indias-smart-cities-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u2713 EDITORIAL:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission: Questions of Sustainability &amp; Maintenance Subject : GS2<br>Context<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite significant investments in India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission, there are shortcomings particularly in terms of<br>maintenance and sustainability, as recently observed severe flooding in cities like Bengaluru and Pune.<br>India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission (SCM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It aims to address the growing urban challenges by integrating technology and sustainable development into city<br>planning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was launched in 2015 with the goal of transforming urban centers through technology-driven solutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It aimed to enhance infrastructure, improve governance, and create sustainable cities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It included area-based development \u2014 such as retrofitting, redevelopment, and greenfield projects \u2014 and pan-city<br>solutions that leveraged digital tools for efficient urban management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It aligns with 15 out of 17 SDGs, focusing on liveability, economic growth, and sustainability.<br>Operational Framework<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Selection Process: 100 cities were selected through a two-stage competition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Implementation: Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) handle project execution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Centrally Sponsored Scheme: \u20b948,000 crore allocated by the central government over five years (\u20b9100 crore per city annually).<br>o States or Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) need to match funding.<br>o Additional resources raised via municipal bonds, government programs, and public-private partnerships (PPP).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over the years, the mission has sanctioned over 8,000 projects across 100 cities, with an estimated investment of \u20b91.67<br>lakh crore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) were established to enable real-time monitoring and decision-making.<br>Challenges and Concerns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintenance &amp; Sustainability Concerns: Despite the substantial financial commitment, cities like Bengaluru and Pune<br>have struggled with flooding due to inadequate upkeep.<br>o The lack of clear guidelines for maintaining smart city assets raises concerns about the longevity of these investments.<br>Governance and Implementation Issues: The governance model of smart cities bypassed local governments and relied<br>on SPVs, which functioned like private companies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delays and Incomplete Projects: Although the SCM was concluded on March 31, 2025, 7% of projects are still ongoing.<br>o Many cities have struggled to complete their planned infrastructure upgrades within the given timeframe, leading<br>to uncertainty about their future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial and Strategic Concerns: SCM has disbursed funds through a grant structure that lacks a cohesive national<br>strategy.<br>Need for a Long-Term Strategy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Smart Cities need to go beyond infrastructure upgrades and embed a culture of maintenance and performance<br>tracking.<br>o Without proactive governance, cities risk repeating cycles of neglect and reconstruction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expanding Digital Infrastructure: Smart cities need to continue investing in technology-driven solutions, such as real-<br>time monitoring systems, AI-based traffic management, and IoT-enabled urban services.<br>o Strengthening digital infrastructure will improve efficiency and responsiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Citizen-Centric Urban Planning: Integrating elected city councils into decision-making processes can enhance<br>transparency and accountability.<br>o Public participation in urban planning can make cities more responsive to residents\u2019 needs.<br>Conclusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission has made notable progress, but sustainability and maintenance remain critical concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Addressing these challenges requires clear operational strategies, accountability, and a long-term vision to ensure that<br>smart cities remain truly \u2018smart\u2019 in the\u00a0years\u00a0to\u00a0come.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2713 EDITORIAL:- India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission: Questions of Sustainability &amp; Maintenance Subject : GS2Context<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-current-affairs"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",981,962,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",981,962,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",981,962,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM-300x294.jpeg",300,294,true],"large":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",800,785,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",981,962,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-12.35.30-PM.jpeg",981,962,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"vinayias-notes","author_link":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/author\/vinayias-notes\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/category\/current-affairs\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Current affairs<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u2713 EDITORIAL:- India\u2019s Smart Cities Mission: Questions of Sustainability &amp; Maintenance Subject : GS2Context","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions\/117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinayiasacademy.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}