Smart Cities Mission: Ambitious at the outset, progress slow after 4 years

Lack of definition of a 'smart city', inadequate initial outlay and funding issues were some of the biggest roadblocks to its success

It was one of the most high-profile initiatives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, holding much promise and bringing hope that it would be the reason for the overhaul and modernisation of Indian cities still ailing from sub-standard infrastructure and amenities, and lack of planning.

Today, however, one hears very little about the 100 Smart Cities initiative anymore, and the Prime Minister’s vision to bring a 100 cities up to standard by 2020 now seems like an insurmountable challenge. Launched in June 2015, the cabinet had then approved a total spending of around Rs 48,000 crore for the 100