Page 43 - NIS English 16-30 June,2023

8 years of Smart City Mission Flagship

he path of development that the country
has chosen to achieve the grand goal of Integrated Command and Control Centre
Ta developed India is both convenient and
sensitive. Several schemes have also resulted
in changes to urban infrastructure. The AMRUT
mission, RERA law, vast network of metro rail and
electric buses, and technology-based security
monitoring have all resulted in changes to the
cities' infrastructure and environment. Meanwhile,
facilities are expanding as a result of the work being
done under the Smart City Mission. Commuting n 100 cities have been selected for the smart city
project.
modes are improving.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that n A total of 7,847 projects were sanctioned, worth over
Rs 1,80,056 crore.
if we approach issues piecemeal, nothing will
change. We need to take a holistic, interconnected, n 5732 projects worth Rs 1,06,969 crore were
completed.
and visionary approach. When the Smart City
Mission began, 100 cities were included using this n Work is underway on 2115 projects worth
approach. This transformative mission aims to put Rs. 73,087 crore.
in place a multi-pronged strategy to provide basic n More Than 80 Integrated Command and Control
infrastructure in cities, a high quality of life for its Centres are operational, and about Rs 9,000 crore
has been spent on them.
citizens, a clean and sustainable environment, and
to meet the aspirations of the urban population. n The work on the 721 Smart Road project is
almost complete.
Agra, Varanasi, Ranchi, Bhopal, Indore, Udaipur,
Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Ahmedabad, Surat,
Chennai, Kakinad, Coimbatore, Erode, Bhubaneswar,
Salem, Visakhapatnam, Vellore, Madurai, Amaravati,
Tiruchirappalli, and Thanjavur are among 22 Smart
City Mission cities that have met almost all of the
parameters. The mission is currently working on
projects to make the remaining 78 selected cities 'Smart City' is not just a
more citizen-friendly and sustainable, and they are campaign to improve the
expected to meet the standards soon. The fact infrastructure of cities; it is a
that the annual expenditure in 2018 was Rs 1000 mission to give a new identity
crore has now increased to more than Rs 45,000 to the country. It is the symbol
crore demonstrates the progress of the work. The of "young India, or "new India.
Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC)
has been operational in over 80 smart cities so far. - Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
These centres (ICCCs) helped in the fight against
the pandemic by serving as COVID management
war rooms. and accelerating the virtuous cycle of growth and
People are moving to cities in greater numbers development. A smart city is intended to improve
as the population grows. Cities currently house 31% people's quality of life by addressing complexities
of India's current population and contribute 63% of with smart design, amenities, smart transportation,
GDP. Urban areas are expected to account for 40% and technology. With this role in mind, the central
of India's population and approximately 75% of its government is heavily investing in the Smart City
GDP by 2030. This necessitates broad development Mission. The country is making strides in digital
as well as social and economic infrastructure. The and information technology, best practises in
Smart City Mission has an important role to play in urban planning, and public-private partnerships.
improving the quality of life, attracting investment, The mission acts as a beacon for the cities.
New India Samachar June 16-30, 2023 41