On February 23, 2021, Minister of State (MoS) Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ministry of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) virtually launched a “National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM)” to create a digital infrastructure for Indian cities.
- This mission envisages supporting all ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) in serving all citizens on the lines of sabkasaath – sabkavikas – sabkavishwas.
Both Ministers also launched other initiatives viz.
- India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX),
- SmartCode, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and
- Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) following the efforts of MoHUA and MeitY to attain Digital India and AtmaNirbhar Bharat by catering the needs of citizens.
What is National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM)?
NUDM is premised upon the technology design principles of the National Urban Innovation Stack (NUIS) which will create a shared digital infrastructure in urban areas. It will work across the three pillars of people, process, and platform by following a citizen-centric and ecosystem-driven approach in 2022 cities by 2022 and pan-India by 2024.
India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX):
It has been developed in partnership between the Smart Cities Mission and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (Karnataka). It is an open-source software platform to facilitate secure, authenticated, and managed exchange of data.
- This will enable ULBs to share, request, and access datasets related to cities, urban governance, and urban service delivery
SmartCode:
It is a platform acting as a repository of various solutions and applications for urban governance. It will address the challenges that ULBs face in the development and deployment of digital applications to address urban challenges.
- Its aim is to customize solutions as per the local needs rather to develop new solutions from scratch.
New smart cities website & Geospatial management information system for project monitoring
In order to make it easier for ULBs and citizens to access resources related to their work, the Smart Cities Mission website has been redesigned to serve as a single stop for all Smart Cities initiatives. In this regard, a Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) is integrated with this website.
- The website, through a seamless and a unified interface, aggregates all mission related information from the various platforms and shows automated mission updates catering to the needs of a public user.
Government Efforts under Smart Cities Mission (SCM)
Initiated in 2015, SCM aims to ensure that the benefits of technology reach all citizens.
–As on February 21, 2021, of the total committed investments of Rs 2,05,018 crore as per approved Smart Cities Plans under the Mission have tendered 5,445 projects worth Rs 1,72,425 crore (84% of total), issued work orders to 4,687 projects worth Rs 1,38,068 crore (67% of total) and completed 2,255 projects worth Rs 36,652 crore (18% of total).
–Under The Urban Learning and Internship Program (TULIP) over 280 ULBs have posted over 14,240 internships; so far, 932 students are undergoing internships, and 195 students have completed their internships.
–To further make cities sustainable and resilient, The ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) was rolled out in 100 Smart Cities.
–A Climate Centre for Cities (C3) has been established in NIUA.
–A number of national challenges like India Cycles4Change Challenge, Streets for People Challenge, Nurturing Neighbourhoods challenge have been implemented as well.
Recent Related News:
i.On January 28, 2021, National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI), a PSU under National Informatics Centre (NIC), MeitY celebrated 25 Years of its inception.
ii.Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry has stated that the ‘New Foreign Trade Policy 2021-26’ of India will come into effect from April 1, 2021. The main mission of the policy would be to make India a leader in International Trade in the next 5 years.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY):
Ravi Shankar Prasad Constituency– Patna Sahib, Bihar
Minister of State– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
