Govt to hold contest with Rs 50 lakh prize money for Smart City projects

To measure the "quality" and "impact" of various ongoing smart city projects, the Centre will hold a contest carrying total prize money of Rs 50 lakh, a senior official said.

The housing and urban affairs ministry has circulated a concept note and guidelines on 'India Smart Cities Awards Contest, 2017' to all States and Union Territories.

"The contest is aimed at recognising and rewarding cities, projects and innovative ideas that promote the goals of the Smart City Mission, including enhancement in quality of life of citizens," the official said.

Evaluation criteria include "impact, innovation and scalability/replicability" in other areas of the city, he added.

Under the 'Project Awards' category, excellence will be awarded in various categories such as 'Improving Governance', 'Social Aspects', 'Culture and Economy', 'Environment impact', 'Transportation and Mobility' and 'Water and Sanitation'.

Best performers in each of the categories will be awarded with Rs 5 lakh each and a scroll.

All projects that will be completed by April 1, 2018 will be eligible for participating in the contest.

Awards will be presented on June 25 next year, marking the third anniversary of the launch of the Smart City Mission.

Under the Smart City Mission, ninety cities have so far been identified through three rounds of competition for implementing various projects. A total investment of Rs 1.91 lakh crore has been proposed by these 90 cities.