Smart Cities-the real incubators of the new urban India, says Hardeep Puri

During a parliamentary consultative committee, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs updated on the progress of the 100 Smart Cities Mission, here's how we are doing so far

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, on Tuesday, met with a committee to discuss the progress of smart cities in India, stating that the innovations from this project will heavily impact urban planning in India.

Smart Cities Mission was launched on June 25, 2015, with the aim of providing a strong infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of living using 'smart solutions'. 100 cities were selected through a competition to be developed as smart cities.

The Smart Cities Mission is monitored by the Apex Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Real-Time Geographical Management Information System (GMIS) monitors the progress in real-time. 

The implementation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) at a city level was also instrumental in monitoring projects.

In some of the recent developments, Smart City Advisory Forum (SCAF)  has been established, consisting of members of parliament, members of the legislative assembly, the city's mayor, district collector, local youth, and technical experts among other stakeholders. 

All 100 smart cities have established these SCAF to enable efficient collaboration between the stakeholders and have held more than 756 meetings so far.

According to the PIB report, Rs 38,400 crore was released towards the completion of the project out of which Rs 35,261 crore has been utilised. 

This includes the completion of more than 5,700 projects (about 73 per cent of projects) worth Rs. 1.1 trillion (about 60 per cent by value). 

The mission has around 7,800 projects worth Rs.1.8 trillion in total. All remaining projects are expected to be completed by 30 June, 2024.