ABSTRACT
The Government of India started Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005. Under this scheme, national and state governments gave large amounts of funds to city governments to improve their infrastructure. The discussions around ‘smart cities’ have gained currency in India ever since the new government promised to make 100 new smart cities. The government appointed a Hyderabad-based public– private partnership company specialising in smart governance for the purpose of evaluating the e-governance detailed project reports. The e-governance of JNNURM is clearly the predecessor of the current Smart Cities Programme of the Government of India. The smart cities programme has been one of the many programmes through which cities expect funds from the national government. The idea of ‘smartness’ in cities seem to be hijacked by the discussions around ‘Smart Cities’, and are limited to either the celebration or criticism of software driven technological projects.
