Smart Cities Mission: Objective, Features & Everything You Need to Know

Table of Content:

1. Smart Cities Mission: An Overview
2. ​Smart Cities Mission: Features
3. Smart Cities Mission: Smart Solutions
4. List of Smart Cities in India

As the urban population continues to expand, Indian cities are increasingly confronted with the daunting task of effectively managing resources, infrastructure, and public services. Recognising this need for transformative urban development, the Government of India launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015. The motive behind this smart cities mission is to create sustainable, citizen-centric urban cities across the country. 

The Smart Cities Mission in India represents a bold and transformative endeavour to reimagine urban development. By leveraging technology and sustainability, this mission is propelling Indian cities towards a smarter, more inclusive and green future.

In our article today, we will dive deep into the Smart Cities Mission in India, its objectives, and its potential to shape the future of urban living in India.

Smart Cities Mission: An Overview

Smart Cities Mission in India is an initiative launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. 

The Smart City Mission launch date was June 25, 2015. The purpose of the "Smart Cities Mission” is to improve people’s quality of life in cities and towns. The Union Ministry of Urban Development is in charge of executing this mission throughout the cities. 

After the successful completion of the five-round process, 100 Indian cities were selected for redevelopment under the mission. Except for West Bengal, all the states of India are participating in the smart cities mission. The reason for not participating is the difference between state and central government ideologies.

Smart Cities Mission: Features

The primary objective of Smart Cities Mission is to boost economic growth and improve the quality of life for their citizens. Below, you will find a list of features that define the Smart Cities Mission. 

1. The Smart City Mission aims to promote the use of mixed land based on its per-area usage plan. This enables the state to possess huge amounts of land for multiple purposes and make bye-laws accordingly. 

2. The citizens will experience relief from traffic congestion by reducing smog levels. Furthermore, new pedestrian streets are under construction for cyclists and walkers to safeguard themselves from accident prone areas.

3. Another objective of the national Smart City Mission is to provide housing choice to one and all. So, more housing construction projects are taking place to provide shelter to lower-income groups. 

4. Cities are also provided with identification in areas like education, health, arts, sports, fashion, and so much more. 

5. Another goal of this mission is to develop more recreational spots like parks, open gyms, gardens, etc. Also, the mission promotes sustainable development practices by incorporating renewable energy sources, efficient waste management systems, etc.

6. Many government related platforms are now becoming digital so that everything remains transparent. Moreover, citizens will not have to wait in long queues at municipal offices; they will just have to visit their respective portals.

7. The Smart Cities Mission in India aims to promote more transportation choices.

8. Smart cities leverage technology to optimise operations and improve the delivery of public services. 

Also Read: 10 Green Buildings In India Setting Sustainable Standards Globally

Smart Cities Mission: Smart Solutions

Under the Smart Cities Mission India, some of the smart solutions used are:

• Public information and grievance redressal

• Electronic service delivery 

• Surveillance of crime videos 

• Initiative for composting waste 

• Waste to energy and fuel 

• Waste C&D treatment

• Management of water and electricity

• Identification of leakage 

• Water purity check

• Renewable energy sources

• Green buildings 

• Less energy usage

• Smart parking system 

• System of intelligent traffic management systems

• Integrated multi-modal transportation system 

• Tele-medicine

• Facilitating trade centres

• Centre for skill development

Also Read: 10 Cleanest Cities In India (2023) Under Swachch Bharat Abhiyan Mission

List of Smart Cities in India

As of now, there are 100 smart cities under the Smart Cities Mission. 

In the first slot, West Bengal and Navi Mumbai submitted their proposals but later withdrew because of conflicting ideologies. Most of these 100 smart cities are in UP and Tamil Nadu. 

You will see below the list of smart cities in India that are currently being redeveloped:

• Port Blair

• Visakhapatnam

• Tirupati

• Kakinada

• Amaravati

• Pasighat

• Guwahati

• Muzaffarpur

• Bhagalpur

• Biharsharif

• Patna

• Chandigarh

• Raipur

• Bilaspur

• Naya Raipur

• Diu Dadra & Nagar Haveli

• Silvassa

• New Delhi Municipal Council

• Panaji

• Gandhinagar

• Ahmedabad

• Surat

• Vadodara

• Rajkot

• Dahod

• Karnal

• Faridabad

• Dharamshala

• Shimla

• Srinagar

• Jammu

• Ranchi

• Mangaluru

• Belagavi

• Shivamogga

• Hubballi Dharwad

• Tumakuru

• Davangere

• Bengaluru

• Kochi

• Trivandrum

• Kavaratti

• Bhopal

• Indore

• Jabalpur

• Gwalior

• Sagar

• Satna Ujjain

• Nashik

• Thane

• Greater Mumbai

• Amravati

• Solapur

• Nagpur

• Kalyan-Dombivali

• Aurangabad

• Pune

• Pimpri chinchwad

• Imphal

• Shillong

• Aizawl

• Kohima

• Bhubaneshwar

• Raurkela

• Oulgaret

• Ludhiana

• Jalandhar

• Amritsar 

• Jaipur 

• Udaipur

• Kota

• Ajmer

• Namchi

• Gangtok

• Tiruchirapalli

• Tirunelveli

• Dindigul

• Thanjavur

• Tiruppur

• Salem

• Vellore

• Coimbatore

• Madurai

• Erode

• Thoothukudi

• Chennai

• Greater Hyderabad

• Greater Warangal

• Karimnagar

• Agartala

• Moradabad

• Aligarh

• Saharanpur

• Bareilly

• Jhansi

• Kanpur

• Prayagraj 

• Lucknow

• Varanasi

• Ghaziabad

• Agra

• Rampur

• Dehradun

Conclusion

The successful implementation of innovative initiatives and the positive impact on citizens' lives illustrate the potential of the Smart Cities Mission to shape the urban landscape of India for generations to come.

Also Read: Cooperative Housing Society in India: Features & Benefits