SMART CITIES    

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Context - The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has organized the “Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization” conference in Surat.

Details

• 3-day “Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization” conference in Surat, organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.
• Events were organised based on 5 themes;
  • Reimagining Public Spaces
  • Digital Governance
  • Climate-Smart Cities
  • Innovation
  • Smart Finance

Initiatives announced during the conference

• The conference highlighted some of the important initiatives being implemented in 100 Smart Cities.
• An awards distribution ceremony was organised;
  • Surat and Indore were given the Best city award.
  • Uttar Pradesh was awarded the Best State.
• The event also featured the release of;
  • Urban Outcomes Framework 2022
  • Ease of Living
  • Municipal Performance Index
  • Data Maturity and Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework.
• The Ministry has launched an integrated data portal AMPLIFI, which will provide valuable data about Indian cities.
  • AMPLIFI - Assessment and Monitoring Platform for Liveable, Inclusive and Future-ready urban India.
• The Ministry has launched a comprehensive dashboard with Outcome Output Management Framework (OOMF) dashboard during the event.
• Inauguration of ‘Amaro Padosh’:
  • The Smart Cities Mission and Surat Municipal Corporation created a temporary, life-size neighbourhood with public amenities like a park, Anganwadi, public health centre, municipal school, bus stop with cycle stand, food plaza, EV charging station, and handloom shop.
  • The objective is to provide a ‘learning by experiencing’ opportunity to attendees participating in the event.
• The Ministry has launched a ‘virtual hub for collaborations on urban transformation’ in collaboration between the Smart Cities Mission and the World Economic Forum (WEF).
  • To solve complex urban challenges, cities require collaborative action across governments, industry, academia and civil society – both national and international.
  • The hub will leverage technologies and innovations to transform Indian cities into centres of sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth.
• ‘Digital Duniya’ pavilion was inaugurated at the Conference to highlight initiatives that empower communities through data and digital technology.
• The Ministry has announced Artificial Intelligence Playbook for Cities.
  • The AI Playbook is a guidebook for the implementation of Artificial Intelligence solutions that cities can deploy to solve complex urban issues.
• Innovation Bazaar pavilion was organised to show cutting-edge solutions for urban challenges, and through diverse activities, expert dialogues.
• The Smart Finance pavilion named ‘finance ka adda’ focuses on innovation in urban finance helping cities identify untapped sources of revenue.

 About Smart Cities Mission

• The Government of India launched Smart Cities Mission (SCM) on 25 June 2015.
• 100 Smart Cities have been selected through 4 rounds of competition from January 2016 to June 2018.
• 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.
• As per SCM Guidelines, the Government of India provided financial support to the extent of ₹ 48,000 crores over five years i.e., on an average of Rs 100 crore per city per year.
  • An equal amount on a matching basis will be contributed by the State Government/Urban Local Body (ULB).
• The implementation of SCM at the city level is done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose.
  • At the State level, Mission implementation is coordinated by the State level High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary of the State.
  • At the National level, the implementation of SCM is monitored by an Apex Committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• The core elements of the Mission;
  • Adequate water supply
  • Assured electricity supply
  • Sanitation, including solid waste management
  • Efficient urban mobility and public transport
  • Affordable housing, especially for the poor
  • Robust IT connectivity and digitalization
  • Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation
  • Sustainable environment
  • Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly
  • Health and education

Objectives of the Smart Cities Mission

• Smart Cities focus on their most pressing needs and on the greatest opportunities to improve lives.
  • They tap a range of approaches; digital and information technologies, urban planning best practices, public-private partnerships, and policy change to make a difference. They always put people first.
• The objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and the application of 'Smart' Solutions.
• The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas and create a replicable model which will act as a lighthouse to other aspiring cities.
• The Smart Cities Mission is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country.

Significance of Smart Cities Mission

• Cities accommodate nearly 31% of India's current population and contribute 63% of GDP (Census 2011).
  • Urban areas are expected to house 40% of India's population and contribute 75% of India's GDP by 2030.
• This requires comprehensive development of physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure.
  • All are important in improving the quality of life and attracting people and investment, setting in motion a virtuous cycle of growth and development. The development of Smart Cities is a step in that direction.
• The Smart Cities Mission is an innovative and new initiative by the Government of India to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens.

Present Status

• As of March 2022, 100 Smart Cities have tendered out 6,928 projects worth ₹ 1,91,238 crore; work orders have been issued in 6,282 projects worth ₹ 1,65,503 crore; 3,576 projects worth ₹ 59,958 crores have been completed.
• So far, the Government of India has released ₹ 29,213.60 crores for 100 Smart Cities, out of which Rs 25,177.65 crores (86%) has been utilised.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1817774