Government announces 30 smart cities, Thiruvanathapuram tops list

On June 23, 2017, Central Government announced another list of 30 cites for development as smart cities under Smart Cities Mission. The names were announced by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

About the latest list of 30 cities selected for Smart Cities Mission:

Kerala capital Thiruvanathapuram topped the list, Chhattisgarh’s new capital Naya Raipur came second.

• 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure feasible and workable plans that match the aspirations of the citizens.
• These 30 cities have proposed a total investment of 57393 crore under respective smart city plans, which includes Rs. 46879 crore for ensuring core infrastructure in the areas identified by citizens for area-based development and Rs. 10,514 crore for technology-based solutions for improving governance, service delivery and utilisation of infrastructure.
• With this, the total number of selected cities has gone up to 90 with a total investment of Rs 191155 crore.

List of 30 Smart Cities selected in the 4^th Round of Selection:

About Smart Cities Mission:

Smart Cities Missionis an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with a mission to develop 100 cities all over the country that are citizen friendly and sustainable.

• This mission was launched on June 25, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Cities are selected on basis of the Smart Cities Challenge, in which cities compete in a countrywide competition to get the benefits from this mission.
• Union Ministry of Urban Development,in collaboration with State Governments of respective cities is the implementing body for this mission.
• After four rounds of selection so far, 90 cities (including 30 cities announced on June 23, 2017) have been selected under this mission.