What is a Smart City

The Central government on Thursday announced the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart cities at a cost of Rs 50,802 crore during a five-year period," said Minister of Urban Development, M Venkaiah Naidu, while announcing the list on Thursday.

In Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam and Kakinada have been selected under the first phase of the project. In the future, the government plans to announce 40 cities each to be developed asa Smart City. Visakhapatnam seeks to be a healthy metropolis.

Kakinada wants to transform from pensioners’ paradise to economic destination. Telangana proposed that Warangal should emerge as vibrant regional economic hub besides being clean and green, but it was not selected.

Infrastructure deficit in urban areas of the country is due to lack of adequate advance planning for future as the country is more used to plan for meeting shortages of yesterday.

‘’Smart City Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have been launched by the Prime Minister to reverse this trend so that cities can begin to prepare for future.

The selected cities will be equipped with basic infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance mechanisms.

Smart City Plans for 95 cities received in the Ministry of Urban Development have thrown up a variety of vision statements ranging from becoming clean and green to being a multi-functional tribal hub.

A perusal of Smart City Plans of 50 cities received by the Central government shows that some aimed at emerging as clean, green and sustainable cities, followed by some seeking to leverage rich cultural heritage legacy for stimulating development.

A few cities stated economic growth and development upfront as the core of their vision and the rest sought to emerge as tourism hubs, port cities, education and health hubs, industrial and institutional centres etc.

taking advantage of unique features and strengths of respective cities. In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ Solutions.

The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities.