ABSTRACT
The Smart Cities Mission was initiated in India in 2015. Under the project, identification of 100 smart cities in India was conceptualized. The selection of smart cities per state in India was based on the population size of the state. Since then, 100 smart cities in India have been shortlisted, and work on the Smart Cities Mission project has been initiated. Here, it is important to highlight that there is no well-defined model to define a smart city, and different countries have adopted different visualization models for the smart cities. The primary objective of the Smart Cities Mission was to meet the urbanization needs of the citizens through development of an ecosystem consisting of physical, social, and economic infrastructure and adding layers of “smartness” to it. The “smartness” is added by having focus on sustainable and inclusive development and creation of replicable models covering areas of e-governance and public services, energy management, waste management, urban mobility, water management, and others like health management, skill development, etc.
The proposed chapter will be based on select primary interviews and interactions with the fellows and leaders associated with Smart Cities Mission in India. The objective is to map the ethos and work done in India, under the Smart Cities Mission. The chapter will also present a state-wise comparative of performance of states in India under Smart Cities Mission in India.
An additional focus of the chapter will be on the work being done in the area of water management under Smart Cities Mission in India. Water is one of the revered elements of nature in India. In fact, several rivers in India, since centuries, have been considered sacred and important from the ecological and cultural point of view. In spite of this, the water bodies in India have suffered from growth of urban centers and unbridled pollution due to mindless release of effluents and other human waste in water bodies. Over the years, a critical need for the formulation of river-sensitive development projects, waste water management, urban river management, and management of water bodies has been recognized and is one of the elements of Smart Cities Mission.
