The Indian government has announced India’s first 20 smart cities today. These 20 smart cities are actually ‘winners’ of a nationwide competition aimed at picking cities and towns for a ‘smart city’ makeover.
The 20 smart cities are Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Solapur, Dhavangiri, Indore, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belgaum, Udaipur, Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal.
But what are the things that make these 20 smart cities so ‘smart’? By definition, a smart city utilizes information and communication technologies to enhance the overall efficiency and interactivity of urban services. Basically, an improved management and flow of these services brought about by involving key technological, economic, and environmental changes.
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We take a look at 10 factors which shall govern the upcoming 20 smart cities in India. If your city is a part of the list, these are the changes you can expect.
1. A total of 97 towns and cities were chosen for the Smart City project in August last year, after a competition between the states.
2. Now that the first 20 smart cities have been named, the remaining cities will be expected to beef up for Round 2 of the competition.
3. In order to qualify as a ‘smart city’, a city must incorporate all service levels, basic infrastructure, and a good track record. Various proposals have been judged, realistically.
4. PM Modi plans to create one smart city in every state of the country offering very good quality of life, easily comparable with any European city.
5. Basic necessities like water supply, sanitation system, waste management, urban mobility, power supply, reliable public transport, e-governance, IT connectivity, and citizen participation shall remain the key for smart cities in India.
6. Each state was earlier assigned a specific number of Smart City slots based on urban population and other factors.
7. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country, will get 13 smart cities. It is also a strategically important state, politically.
8. Tamil Nadu gets 12 smart cities, Maharashtra 10, Madhya Pradesh 7, while Gujarat and Karnataka will be home to a total of 6 smart cities each.
9. A total of Rs. 3 lakh crore will be spent by the government in the development and refurbishment of these smart cities. Smart cities in India will be driven smartly and sustain-ably.
10. With 20 smart cities in India, the government plans to push forward its urban renewal agenda in around 100 cities and towns.
(Featured Image Credit: smartcitybhubaneswar.com)
