The Union government has announced the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart cities. The investment of Rs 50,802 crores has been proposed in selected smart cities and towns during the five-year period. There are five capital cities among the 20 smart cities chosen. The urban development ministry received proposals for 97 cities from state governments. The selected cities will be equipped with basic infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance mechanisms. In the future, the government plans to announce 40 cities each to be developed as a Smart City.

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 Did You Know??? 

• The vision for smart cities includes quality communications including Wi-Fi and infrastructure like drinking water on tap, automated waste collection and uninterrupted power supply, all luxuries for most cities.
• The cities would offer “decent living options to every resident” which would provide a “very high quality of life comparable with any developed European city”, a note from the Urban Ministry declared.
• To build smart cities, India allocated Rs. 6000 crores ($962 million) in last year’s budget.