Smart Cities Mission

Question 1

Cities are engines of growth for the economy of every nation, including India.

• Nearly ____ of India’s current population lives in urban areas and contributes ____ of India’s GDP (Census 2011).
• With increasing urbanization, urban areas are expected to house _____ of India’s population and contribute ____ of India’s GDP by 2030. This requires comprehensive development of physical,
  institutional, social and economic infrastructure.

All are important in improving the quality of
life and attracting people and investments to the City, setting in motion a virtuous cycle of growth and development.

• Development of Smart Cities is a step in that direction.

Answer 1

31% ; 63%

40% ; 75%

Question 2

The core infrastructure elements in a Smart City would include:

WESUH
IGESH

Answer 2

i. adequate water supply,
ii. assured electricity supply,
iii. sanitation, including solid waste management
vi. efficient urban mobility and public transport,
v. affordable housing, especially for the poor,
vi. robust IT connectivity and digitalization,
vii. good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation,
viii. sustainable environment,
ix. safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and
x. health and education.

Question 3

The first question is what is meant by a ‘smart city’.

Answer 3

The answer is, there is no universally accepted
definition of a Smart City. It means different things to different people. The conceptualisation
of Smart City, therefore, varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources and aspirations of the city residents.

A Smart City would have a different connotation in India than, say, Europe. Even in India, there is no one way of defining a Smart City.

Question 4

To provide for the aspirations and needs of the citizens, urban planners ideally aim at developing the entire urban eco-system, which is represented by the four pillars of comprehensive development — _____. IPSE

• This can be a long term goal and cities can work towards developing such comprehensive infrastructure incrementally, adding on layers of ‘smartness’.

Answer 4

1. institutional,
2. physical,
3. social and
4. economic infrastructure

Question 5

Tenure of this Scheme

Answer 5

March 31, 2025

Question 6

launched in

Answer 6

June 2015

Question 7

How is the mission being implemented?

Answer 7

The Union Ministry of Urban Development is responsible for implementing the mission.

The mission is implemented in collaboration with the state governments of the respective cities.