Smart Cities Mission Progress

November 14, 2023

As the deadline for the Smart Cities Mission in India approaches in June 2024, cities in states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan have emerged as the top performers. These cities are leading in terms of project completion and financial progress.

Regional Disparities

Conversely, Union Territories (UTs) and cities in Northeastern states find themselves in the lower ranks of the Smart Cities Mission progress. There exists a significant disparity in project completion between these regions and their counterparts in other states.

Ongoing Projects

According to data from the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry as of November 3, approximately 22% of total projects (1,745 out of 7,947) are still ongoing. These ongoing projects account for 33% of the total cost (Rs 57,028 crore out of Rs 1.70 lakh crore). The majority of projects, numbering 6,202, have been successfully completed.

Leading Cities

Data from November 10 highlights Surat (Gujarat) as the top-performing city in terms of project completion, fund utilization, and other criteria within the Smart Cities Mission. It is followed by Agra (UP), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Varanasi (UP), and Bhopal (MP) in the top five. Other cities in the top 10 include Tumakuru (Karnataka), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Madurai (TN), Kota (Rajasthan), and Shivamogga (Karnataka).

Challenges in Smaller Cities

The cities ranking lower in the Smart Cities Mission progress are primarily smaller cities, Union Territories, and those in the Northeastern region. Sources attribute this lower ranking to a lack of capacity in these smaller cities. However, officials remain optimistic that ongoing projects will meet the extended deadline of June 2024.

Background of the Smart Cities Mission

Launched in 2015, the Smart Cities Mission selected 100 cities through a competitive process from January 2016 to June 2018. These cities were expected to complete all proposed projects within five years from their selection. In May of this year, the deadline for all cities was extended to June 2024.

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