Sansad TV Special: Smart Cities | Technology Meets Humanity | 16 Jan 2025

Why in News? 

A report by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, highlights that smart classrooms introduced under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) have increased school enrolment by 22% across 19 cities. 

• By November 2024, the Smart Cities Mission achieved remarkable milestones, completing 91% of projects, thereby significantly enhancing urban infrastructure and overall quality of life. 

What is the Smart Cities Mission (SCM)? 

• About: The Smart Cities Mission (SCM), launched in June 2015, by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), aims to transform urban living by promoting sustainable, inclusive, and technology-driven development. 
  • The Mission has been extended for period upto 31^st March 2025 to complete balance 10% projects. 
• Key Components and Strategies: 
  • Area-Based Development (ABD): Focused on upgrading specific areas within cities into replicable urban models through citizen engagement and targeted interventions. 
    • These interventions include modernizing infrastructure and enhancing service delivery to address critical urban challenges efficiently. 
  • Pan-City Projects: Employs technology-driven solutions to enhance city-wide infrastructure, such as intelligent traffic systems, integrated command centers, and e-governance platforms for better management. 
  • Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV): Cities created SPVs to implement SCM projects, ensuring robust governance, accountability, and accelerated project execution. 
  • Funding Mechanisms: SCM utilized diverse funding sources like public-private partnerships (PPPs), municipal bonds, and central and state government contributions to sustain its projects. 
  • Performance Analysis: The Ease of Living Index (EoI), Municipal Performance Index (MPI), and the ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) play a crucial role in advancing smart cities.  
    • These indices evaluate urban aspects like infrastructure, governance, and quality of life, fostering accountability, efficient resource management, and data-driven decision-making.  
• Targets and Scope: 
  • 100 cities were selected competitively to implement the mission’s comprehensive strategies. 
  • Focus areas included housing, transportation, education, healthcare, governance, and recreational spaces. 
  • A total of ₹1.47 lakh crore was allocated for 8,075 projects, with innovative platforms like SAAR (Smart Cities and Academia towards Action and Research) promoting research and collaboration. 

What are Key Achievements of the Smart Cities Mission? 

• Project Completion:  A total of 8,058 projects worth ₹1,64,368 crore were planned, with 7,479 projects (93%) successfully completed, which highlights SCM’s efficiency and commitment to urban modernization. 
  • Introduced innovations like smart roads, renewable energy projects, and advanced public transportation systems, transforming urban spaces into efficient and sustainable environments. 
• Education Enhancements: The implementation of 9,433 smart classrooms in 2,398 government schools, across 71 cities, led to a 22% rise in enrolment between 2015-16 and 2023-24, improving student engagement and attendance significantly. 
  • Comprehensive teacher training programs enabled effective utilization of smart technology, with senior secondary teachers displaying the highest comfort levels and adoption rates. 
• Digital Libraries: 41 cities established digital libraries accommodating 7,809 students, enabling better access to learning resources.  
  • Cities like Raipur and Tumakuru utilized these libraries effectively for competitive exam preparations. 
• Urban Infrastructure Development: Major improvements included constructing smart roads, public spaces, and sustainable urban transit systems designed to enhance citizen engagement and mobility. 
  • Integration of renewable energy initiatives in infrastructure projects reduced energy costs and improved environmental sustainability. 
• Health: A total of 172 e-health centers and clinics (without dedicated beds) have been established, along with the installation of 152 health ATMs. 
• Impact Studies Under SAAR Initiative: Conducted under the Sameeksha Series, 50 impact assessments by academic institutions, including IIMs and IITs, evaluated the mission’s outcomes on ease of living, governance, and economic growth. 
  • These studies highlighted significant improvements in citizen satisfaction, urban management, and overall governance efficiency. 
• Employment and Economic Opportunities: The mission generated substantial local employment opportunities and boosted urban productivity, particularly in smaller cities where such interventions were most needed. 
• Technological Advancements: Establishing integrated command centers enhanced governance efficiency by enabling data-driven decision-making and optimal resource allocation across urban systems. 

What are the Challenges Related to the Smart Cities Mission? 

• Financial Constraints: Persistent delays due to funding gaps and heavy reliance on government allocations created challenges in timely project completion, especially in smaller urban centers. 
  • The budget for the SCM in India was reduced from Rs 80 billion in 2023-24 to Rs 24 billion in 2024-25. 
  • Private investments were challenging to secure for long-term and resource-intensive projects, limiting financial sustainability. 
• Land Availability Challenges: It includes limited urban space, high land costs, land acquisition issues, and conflicting land-use policies, hindering efficient planning and development of sustainable urban infrastructure. 
• Coordination and Governance Issues: Inefficiencies in coordination between central, state, and local governments often resulted in delays and hindered project execution. 
  • Ambiguities in roles and responsibilities among various implementing agencies exacerbated governance issues. 
• Technological and Skill Gaps: The shortage of skilled personnel for implementing and maintaining advanced smart systems impeded project performance and long-term sustainability. 
  • Incompatibility between legacy systems and newly implemented smart technologies created significant integration challenges. 
• Inclusivity Concerns: Marginalized communities were often excluded from accessing the full benefits of smart city projects due to inequitable resource allocation. 
  • Focus on elite urban areas sometimes overlooked the needs of underdeveloped peri-urban and rural regions, increasing inequality. 
• Environmental Challenges: Rapid urbanization under SCM sometimes led to unsustainable practices, including excessive resource consumption and waste generation in densely populated areas. 
  • A lack of robust sustainability measures in some projects failed to mitigate their ecological impact effectively. 

Way Forward 

• Enhanced Financial Mechanisms: Develop innovative financing models like municipal bonds and international funding opportunities to ensure financial sustainability for all cities. 
  • Providing incentives for private investments in smaller cities can improve funding availability for long-term projects. 
• Streamlined Governance and Coordination: Strengthen intergovernmental collaboration to minimize bureaucratic delays and establish clear accountability frameworks for all stakeholders. 
  • Expand platforms like SAAR to foster effective integration between academia, policy experts, and government bodies. 
• Capacity Building: Invest in comprehensive training programs to enhance the skills of urban planners, engineers, and administrative personnel involved in project execution. 
  • Ensure continuous support for professionals managing smart technologies to maintain system efficiency and reliability. 
• Promoting Inclusivity: Tailored interventions are essential to ensure that marginalized communities and underdeveloped areas benefit equally from smart city projects. 
  • Focus on bridging the urban-rural divide by extending smart infrastructure to peri-urban and rural regions where such interventions are scarce. 
• Focus on Sustainability: Prioritize renewable energy integration, efficient resource management, and green infrastructure projects to address environmental concerns effectively. 
  • Develop comprehensive waste management systems to reduce environmental impact and ensure sustainable urbanization practices. 
• Technological Advancements: Accelerate investments in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain to revolutionize urban management systems and service delivery. 
  • Strengthen cybersecurity frameworks to protect sensitive data and maintain public trust in smart systems.