Government extended Smart Cities Mission till 31st March 2025
Objectives
Salient features
Promote cities with smart solutions for core infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
Drive growth through comprehensive development of social, economic, physical, and institutional aspects.
Create replicable models for sustainable, inclusive urban development to inspire other cities.
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Launch year: 2015
Valid Till: 31st March 2025
Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme
Funding: The Union Government provides on an average Rs.100 crore per city per year.
An equal amount on a matching basis is to be provided by the State/ULB.
Additional resources mechanism includes grants under the Finance Commission, innovative finance mechanisms (Municipal Bonds), government programs and borrowings.
Selection Process: 100 Smart Cities have been selected based on the idea of Competitive and Cooperative Federalism.
Stage 1 of the competition: Shortlisting of cities by States.
Cities are distributed among the States and UTs on the basis of an equitable criterion. In this Stage, the competition was intra-state.
Stage 2 of the competition: The Challenge round for selection
Each of the potential Smart Cities prepared their proposals for participation in the ‘City Challenge’ to competes for selection as a Smart City.
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV): Implementation of the Smart Cities Mission is being done by a SPV.
The SPV will plan, appraise, approve, release funds, implement, manage, operate, monitor and evaluate the Smart City development projects.
It is set up at the city level in the form of a limited company under the Companies Act, 2013.
It is promoted by the State/UT and the Urban Local Body (ULB) jointly both having 50:50 equity shareholding.
Private entities may invest, but the State/UT and ULB must retain majority control.
Funds provided by the Government of India in the SCM to the SPV will be in the form of tied grant and kept in a separate Grant Fund.
Strategy:
Adopted three models of area-based developments:
Retrofitting (city improvement)
Redevelopment (city renewal)
Greenfield (city extension)
Along with area-based development, a pan-city initiative is also used.
It envisages the application of selected smart solutions to the existing city-wide infrastructure.
Convergence with Other Government Schemes: With schemes such as AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY),etc.
Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC): ICCCs in 100 Smart for evidence-based policy and decisions.
Provides several online services to citizens in areas of traffic management, health, water etc.
Current status: As on 03rd July 2024, the 100 Cities have completed 7,188 projects (90% of total projects).
