Page 42 - NIS English 16-30 June,2023

Flagship 8 years of Smart City Mission

Strong Foundation for Building Smart India
Urban Facilities becoming Smart

Improving the Quality of Life

New India is advancing by making its cities smarter and more modern. Following
2014, the country developed a result-oriented, integrated urban development policy.
Through this five-pillar policy, the central government took the initiative to improve city
governance. The Smart City Mission was launched on June 25, 2015, as part of a series
of initiatives aimed at improving urban administration through e-governance, the Smart
City Mission, an integrated command and control centre, and a CCTV network. Let's take
a look at the Smart City Mission's seven-year achievements in smart infrastructure and
improved quality of life through these case studies.

"Jabalpur was the first city in Madhya Pradesh to report a case of COVID-19." Management tools
were required to deal with the new and unknown epidemic. A smart control room was required,
and the Integrated Command and Control Centre, which Jabalpur received as part of the Smart
City Mission's initial phase, played an important role in the fight against the Corona virus. This
is how the Jabalpur administration detected the Corona virus in its early stages. A 500-metre
and a one-kilometre GIS buffer zone were established, as well as the geotagging of the COVID-
19-positive patient and those who came into contact with them. The Jabalpur Smart City public
announcement system at 15 city junctions was used to inform citizens about the lockdown and
curfew, as well as the guidelines given to officers."

"The smart city project has changed the image of Varanasi. The city has created a smart city
environment by installing an integrated command and control centre and a city-wide video
system, which ensures public safety and effectively combats violence, crime, accidents, traffic
congestion, pollution, and weather. This city, which was included in the Smart City Mission in
2017-18, has modern facilities, CCTV monitoring of the entire city, tourism facilities, and advanced
technology, as well as the International Convention Centre Rudraksh, Namo Ghat. The changed
image of the city is easily visible and felt.
40 New India Samachar June 16-30, 2023