Bharat SainiLast Updated on February 25, 2017 by Bharat Saini
Significant transformations in geographical distribution of population will continue to be experienced during the coming decades as it has undergone in the past fifty years and urbanization has been one of the major movements in the last century. These transformations have driven economic development. Migration from rural to urban areas has played a key role in the rapid growth of cities and with the reclassification of rural localities into urban, it continues to be an important component of city growth. Cities are focal points of economic growth, innovation and paid employment. On average, urban residents have better access to education and health care as well as other basic services such as clean water, sanitation and transportation than rural populations. According to the Census 2011 India’s 31 per cent of the population and 26 per cent of the workforce was urban, with more people moving to cities and towns each year, cities are finding it difficult and challenging to provide a quality of life to its citizens, given the stress on infrastructure and facilities. As the key motivating factors to move to cities is employment and pursuit of a better life and keeping this scenario in mind the proposal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government to develop Smart Cities is the right solution to sustain the growth.
In the approach of the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide 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 Smart Cities Mission of the Government is a bold, new initiative. It is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country. 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, and health and education.
The purpose of the Smart Cities Mission is to drive economic growth by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to Smart outcomes.
The strategic components of area-based development in the Smart Cities Mission are retrofitting, i.e. city improvement; redevelopment, i.e. city renewal and Greenfield development, i.e. city extension plus a Pan-city initiative in which Smart Solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city.
Application of Smart Solutions will enable cities to use technology, information and data to improve infrastructure and services. Comprehensive development in this way will improve quality of life, create employment and enhance incomes for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, leading to inclusive cities.
