New Delhi: Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the
Modi government’s ambitious flagship programme to “smarten” up 100 cities is finally showing some tangible results.
Overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and meticulously monitored through a scientifically devised system by the housing and urban affairs ministry, the Smart City Mission has achieved in one year what it had not over the previous two years put together.
As per official data of the ministry of housing and urban affairs accessed by ET, between January 2016 (when the first batch of 20
smart cities were chosen through a competitive process) and January 2018, projects worth Rs 33,970 crore were tendered. This grew by 270 per cent in a year to Rs 1,26,000 crore by February 2019. Even the number of projects completed increased manifold showing progress in one year what had not been achieved in the two years previous to it.
The worth of projects grounded or completed stood at Rs 19,041 crore in January 2018. This increased by 319 per cent to Rs 79,780 crore in February 2019.