Sustainable development of Smart Cities

According to the report released by President at the Annual Smart Cities Conclave in Indore, over 70% of projects under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) are in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on cities, clean water and sanitation, clean energy and economic growth.

• During the event, the President handed out the Smart Cities awards for 2022.
• Indore being named the overall best Smart City and Madhya Pradesh the best state.

Highlights of the Report:

• Theme: “Smart Cities Mission, India: Localising Sustainable Development Goals”.
• Prepared by: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and UN-Habitat.
• Objective: The report demonstrates tangible and measurable impact towards the achievement of SDGs, relying not solely on data but also human stories and perspectives.

• Sustainable Goals achieved:
  • According to the report, while the SCM projects have largely contributed, in one way or the other, to 15 of the 17 SDGs.
  • Nearly 44% were in line with the aim of SDG 11 — to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
  • Around 13.3% of the SCM projects contributed to SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation);
  • 6% to SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) and
  • 4% to SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth).
• The report mentioned that the SCM, with a total of 7,846 projects across 100 cities showcases successful implementation of a national-scale urban mission that aligns comprehensively with global agendas and empowers cities to drive sustainable development.
• Key Projects highlighted:
  • The report cited as an example a project in Ahmedabad, where sensor-based monitoring of the water network resulted in an additional supply of 50 million litres a day (MLD) by detecting leakages.
  • The Mudasarlova Reservoir Floating Solar Plant in Visakhapatnam, which led to an annual electricity generation of 3,613 MWh and saved $0.28 million, the report said. The project prevented emission of over 3,000 tonnes of CO2.
  • The project in Indore, which used a gravity-based network to prevent 205 MLD of untreated sewage from entering the Kahn River, the Saraswati River and the network of 25 drains.

About Smart Cities Mission:

• The Smart Cities Mission, launched in 2015.
• It is an initiative of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
• Aim: Cities across the country were asked to submit proposals for projects to improve municipal services and to make their jurisdictions more liveable.
  • The projects were supposed to be completed within five years of the selection of the city, but in 2021 the Ministry changed the deadline for all cities to June 2023.
• But the Ministry extended its deadline to June 2024.
• Funding:
  • The Mission is operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
  • Central Government will give financial support to the extent of Rs. 48,000 crores over 5 years i.e., on an average Rs.100 crore per city per year.
  • An equal amount on a matching basis is to be provided by the State/ULB.
  • Additional resources are to be raised through convergence, from ULBs’ own funds, grants under Finance Commission, innovative finance mechanisms such as Municipal Bonds, other government programs and borrowings.