SMART CITIES MISSION

 

SMART CITIES MISSION   I   RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching institute in Lucknow I  Current Affairs

Mains Exam: General Studies-1,2

(Social, Political and Administrative Policies and Interventions)

Context:

  • Recently, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs asked the 20 worst performing cities to complete their projects within the stipulated time frame under the Smart Cities Mission, which completed the least number of projects under the mission.
  • The government has set June 2023 as the deadline for completion of selected urban projects.

About Smart Cities Mission (SCM):

  • Smart Cities Mission is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs which was launched by the Prime Minister on 25 June 2015.
  • Cities across the country were asked to submit proposals for projects to improve municipal services and make their jurisdiction more livable.
  • The ministry selected 100 cities for the mission in five rounds between January 2016 and June 2018.
  • The scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme based on 50:50 model, which means Rs 50 crore will be contributed by the Center and Rs 50 crore by the state government or union territories.

Pillars of this Mission:

  • Social infrastructure,
  • Physical infrastructure,
  • Institutional infrastructure,
  • Economic infrastructure.

Why the Need for this Mission:

  • India is the second most populous country in the world.
  • According to the 2011 census, about 31% of India's population lives in cities, and it contributes 63% to the GDP.
  • Worth noting that by 2030, about 40% of India's population will be living in cities and will contribute 75% to GDP.
  • Keeping these requirements in mind, the Government of India had started the Smart City Mission to make the lifestyle of the people living in 100 cities smart.

Objective:

  • Promoting cities that provide basic infrastructure.
  • Making parts of roads more accessible and pedestrian friendly
  • Construction of sewage treatment plants along with laying of water pipelines.
  • Making cities livable, inclusive and sustainable (Area Based Development).
  • Creating employment opportunities.

Significance:

  • The mission will provide 'smart' solutions to the citizens with a clean and sustainable environment.
  • This mission will help in meeting the needs of large and low income population in cities.
  • Will help in completing the infrastructural facilities for educational activities.
  • Agreements made by state governments with other countries can be fulfilled.
  • Recently, the Government of Uttar Pradesh entered into an agreement with Austin University to build a Smart City of Knowledge.

Time frame set for completion of Smart City Mission:

  • The selected urban projects under this mission were to be completed within five years, but this deadline was extended by the ministry in the year 2021 to June 2023.
  • By March 2023, 100 cities have issued work orders for 7,799 projects. Out of these, 5,399 projects have been completed and the rest are ongoing.
  • Only about 20 cities are likely to meet the June deadline; The rest will need more time.
  • Among the laggards are six cities in the Northeast, five union territories and three state capitals.
  • The government has asked the 20 worst performing cities, which have completed the least number of projects under the mission, to complete their projects at the earliest.

Challenges for this Mission:

  • Smart Cities Mission is a challenging project.
  • Every city has many challenges related to infrastructure, city mobility, practical exercises etc.
  • Infrastructure Development:
  • When infrastructure is developed on a large scale, several challenges emerge.
  • In a country like India, the major challenges are inconsistencies in the legal framework, policies and regulatory norms. They affect the actual execution of the projects.
  • Technical Constraints:
  • Smart City Mission aims to use smart technologies to develop the city into a smart city.
  • However, most of the urban local bodies have limited technical capability to ensure the development of smart cities.
  • These technical and technological limitations hinder cost-effective and timely implementation of smart steps.
  • Lack of funding for the project:
  • Sustaining the flow of funds and funds for the smart cities mission is a challenge. Most of the ULBs are not even financially self-sufficient.
  • Getting the right finance to complete the project and subsequent maintenance of technological advances in smart cities can be a challenge.
  • Lack of transport for transportation:
  • Urbanization of public transport for urban mobility is currently a challenge for the government due to inadequate transport system in the cities.
  • Various factors such as lack of investment, high population density, zoning and poor urban planning are making transit systems inadequate in Indian cities.

Government Initiatives to Support the Smart City Mission:

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT):

  • It was launched in June 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • To ensure that every household has tap facility with assured supply of water and sewerage connection.
  • To enhance the amenity value of cities by developing green spaces and well maintained open spaces like parks.
  • Reducing pollution by switching to public transport or creating facilities for non-motorized transport.

National Urban Digital Mission:

  • It will create a common digital infrastructure for urban India.
  • It will work on the three pillars of people, process and platform to provide holistic support to cities and towns.

National Urban Learning Platform:

  • It aims to publicize ongoing solutions and innovations, and act as an enabler for the rapid development of diverse new solutions developed by cities and states.

Ease of Living Index:

  • It is an evaluation tool by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to evaluate the quality of life and impact of various initiatives for urban development in a city.

Urban Learning Internship Program (TULIP):

  • TULIP is a program to provide new graduates with experiential learning opportunities in the urban area.
  • It helps in increasing the value-to-market of India's graduates and helps in creating a potential talent pool in diverse fields such as urban planning, transportation engineering, environment, municipal finance etc.

Make in India

Digital India

Clean India Movement

Pradhan MantriAwasYojana

Way Forward:

  • If India continues on its growth trajectory, it must prioritize the quality of urbanization to ensure sustainable and equitable growth.
  • For this, the government will have to formulate strategies in collaboration with the states to deal with the challenges faced by the smart city.
  • Government of India should focus on the development of small towns apart from the major cities of the country, so that infrastructural facilities can be available for the increasing population in future.
  • Successful implementation of this mission requires focused attention on capacity building at all levels to learn new approaches and technologies and sensitize them to new roles and responsibilities.
  • It should be a long term program and not just a five year program as most of the cities cannot develop within this time frame.
  • To meet the requirement of the city, more projects should be identified. There are many smart cities whose drainage problem is yet to be resolved.
  • A study should be done on why not a single project has been completed in cities like Amravati, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Shillong.
  • To raise funds, taxes should generate more revenue. Fund transfer process should also be made accessible.
  • All these cities should be secured by cyber security.

Conclusion:

  • The main objective of the Smart Cities Mission is to promote the economic development of the country and improve the standard of living of the Indian people. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs aims to fulfill the mission by empowering the 100 selected cities by harnessing technology, enabling local area development and improving infrastructure and services.
  • It's been more than six years since the project started, and some cities are seeing changes. The completed projects will bring social and economic benefits. However, due to various reasons such as financial, administrative and Covid-19, the pace of this program has been affected.

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Mains. Exam. Question

Discuss the importance of Smart City Mission in India. Discuss the challenges and possible solutions in implementing the Smart City Mission in India.