Staunch Urbaniser

A move closer to turning Indian cities smart, the government, under its ambitious Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu recently announced a list of 13 more cities that will be developed under the Centre´s ´Smart City Mission´. Lucknow, New Town in Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Dharamsala, Panaji, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Raipur, Ranchi, Warangal, Agartala, Imphal and Port Blair are the cities chosen through a fast-track competition. With the selection of these, the total number of cities to be covered under the Smart City Mission stands at 33 now. Further, it is expected that another 40 cities will be selected during 2016-17, and the remaining 40 in the next financial year. According to Naidu, as reported, the 13 cities selected in the fast track competition have proposed a total investment of Rs 30,229 crore. And, with this, the investment proposed by 33 cities under the smart city plans is now Rs 80,789 crore. With Naidu on an urbanisation spree, the country hopes to soon make it to the ´developed´ list.