Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced his vision to set up 100 smart cities across the country soon after coming to power last year.
The Union Minister for Urban Development, M Venkaiah Naidu, while releasing the list of 98 cities selected for being developed into smart cities, also spelt out the features of a Smart City.
Naidu said that the objectives to promote cities include providing core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ solutions.
The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model, which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities, the minister underlined.
The core infrastructure elements in a Smart City would include:
* Adequate water supply
*Assured electricity supply
*Sanitation, including solid waste management
*Efficient urban mobility and public transport
*Affordable housing, especially for the poor
*Robust IT connectivity and digitalization
*Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation
*Sustainable environment
*Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly
*Health and education
For the entire list of features of a ‘smart city’, click here.
