The Smart Cities Mission launched by the Government of India on 25 June 2015 has identified one hundred cities to develop as smart, sustainable urban centres with enhanced infrastructure, services and governance.
During this timeframe only thirty-one of the original hundred cities have been declared ‘smart’ by the mission and have received extensions beyond the original target years before being declared ‘smart’.
The implications of this is that while a majority of selected cities are currently developing under the mission, only approximately one-third of those originally chosen are currently considered officially ‘smart’ under Smart Cities Mission criteria.
History of the Mission
The Smart Cities Mission planned to enhance urban living by leveraging technology and better planning. It was established to provide:
- Core Infrastructure Improvements
- Efficient Public Services
- Sustainable Environments and Urban Quality of Life
- Citizen Co-Creation and Participation
These one hundred cities were chosen through a competitive process and established individual special purpose vehicles to implement the projects.
Comparison of Progress to Originally Established Goals
Project Implementation
Almost all of the 100 cities have now completed area-based development projects and pan-city initiatives. The vast majority of planned projects in cities (over 94 percent) are either completed or nearing completion.
Timeline of the Mission
Although the original end date for all phases of the Mission was anticipated to be in early 2021, it has since been delayed until 31st March 2025 to allow for delays and accelerate progress in many phases.
Cities Achieving Full Completion
Only about 18 – 31 cities have achieved all critical components of the development projects required to be formally declared as “smart” either on paper or in practice. While some reports state there were 18 cities completed per the Mission definition, the counts of “smart” status will vary from source to source due to timing and criteria differences.
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Factors Leading to Incomplete Cities:
- Due to stringent formal declaration criteria, almost all cities that are currently counted as cities are only working toward meeting the final standards.
- Implementation issues, such as land, funding delays, and coordination between various levels of government have impeded overall progress.
- Legislative bodies and oversight committees have been critical of the pace and productivity of smart technology.
- Thus, even with the number of cities in the smart development program, there are far fewer complete cities than were originally intended.
- The city has met all Mission goals
- The urban service and technology systems of the city meet the defined standards for those goals.
- The quality of life improvements can be substantiated and measured.
In conclusion, to date, about 31 cities have been able to achieve all of the above standards more than nine years after the start of the Mission.
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