Smart City Mission

The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) was launched by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 June 2015, is a joint effort of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and all state and union territory (UT) governments. The SCM was attended by over 1,200 public sector leaders, urban planning experts and citizens from across the country. This flagship effort will allocate Rs. 48,000 crore over five years to promote progressive urban planning, improve governance, and strengthen the economic, social and physical infrastructure of 100 cities. The effective combined completion of all projects as of 2019 is at 11%.

The purpose of the Smart Cities Mission is to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to Smart outcomes. The SCM will improve infrastructure and services (i.e., housing, water supply, sanitation, electricity supply, health, education, mobility, safety and security, IT connectivity and digitalization), while maintaining a clean and sustainable environment, and strengthening urban governance. The development and application of ‘smart’ solutions to overcome various urban problems is the main feature that distinguishes the SCM from previous urban-reform initiatives. 

The geographical distribution shows that many chosen cities are from the following large states – Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. On 28 August 2015, Jhansi was selected among 98 cities for smart city initiative by Government of India.