SMART CITIES MISSION (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Govt Schemes)

Context: The government has stepped up monitoring of projects under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), with about 21% of the projects yet to be completed and seven months remaining to meet the extended deadline of June 2024.

Smart Cities Mission (SCM)

• Launched by: June, 2015.
• Ministry: Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
• Objective: To promote cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment, and give a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
• Focus Area: Sustainable and inclusive development by the creation of replicable models that act as lighthouses to other aspiring cities.
• Coverage: 100 cities
• Funding: This Mission is operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Extension: June 2023 to June 2024

Status of the Projects Under the Mission

• With about 768 projects, Karnataka topped the list of states with the most completed projects, followed by Madhya Pradesh (577), Uttar Pradesh (553), and Tamil Nadu (531).
• Indore had the highest number of completed projects among all cities, while Shillong had the lowest — just one.