Work for over 8,000 projects under ambitious Smart City mission underway

New Delhi [India], September 3 (ANI): More than 8,000 multi-sectoral projects are being developed under the ambitious 100 Smart City projects, amounting to approximately Rs 1.6 lakh crore, the government said in an official update.

The ambitious Smart City Mission was launched on June 25, 2015, aiming at providing core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life to their citizens.

By addressing residents’ diverse needs, the mission aspires to create dynamic urban spaces that evolve to meet the aspirations of their citizens, serving as replicable models for other cities.

Over 83,000 CCTV surveillance cameras have been installed across those Smart Cities.

Over 50 of those 100 cities are managing solid waste with increased technology use, improving route management, and efficiency of collection daily management.

7,654 smart classrooms and 40 digital libraries have been developed; 172 e-health centers and clinics (without dedicated beds) have been developed, and 155 health ATMs have been installed; and 21 incubation centers/skill development centers have been developed, and over 56 market redevelopment projects have been completed, the government said in the update.

In early July this year, the government said that those 100 cities had completed 7,188 projects (90 per cent of total projects) amounting to Rs 144,237 crore as part of the mission. The balance 830 projects amounting to Rs19,926 crore were also in the advanced stages of completion.

The Smart Cities Mission is a novel experiment in India’s urban development. Since its inception in June 2015, the Mission has attempted several innovative ideas, — competition among cities for selection of 100 smart cities, stakeholder-driven project selection, formation of smart city Special Purpose Vehicles for implementation, deployment of technology and digital solutions for improving urban governance, third-party impact evaluation by premier academic and professional institutes.

All ongoing projects are now expected to be completed before March 31, 2025.