Niti Aayog reveals underperformance of Guwahati Smart City

09 Aug 2023 CW Team

Niti Aayog's analysis highlights that Guwahati's underwhelming performance is not an isolated case. Several other cities in the Northeastern region, including Shillong, Aizawl, and Imphal, have faced challenges in making significant progress in their respective smart city initiatives. Similarly, municipalities like Amaravati, Diu, Greater Warangal, Kavaratti, Port Blair, and Puducherry are also struggling and rank among the lowest-performing urban areas.

The report also points out that 32 smart cities have exceeded their initial project completion targets, with some surpassing them by four times. Despite the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as political, regional, and local land and labor issues, an impressive Rs 390.85 billion worth of projects were successfully completed nationwide in the past year.

The financial aspect of the Smart Cities Mission also displays positive trends. Funding provided by the Central Government increased from Rs 283.15 billion to Rs 348.87 billion by the end of 2022, showcasing a renewed commitment to accelerating the growth of smart cities.

Regarding Guwahati, the city received a financial grant of Rs 3.96 billion from the Ministry of Urban Development, which remained unused until 2022. The total financial plan for Guwahati's five-year Smart City project was set at Rs 22.56 billion, with expectations that both the Central Government and the state administration would each contribute Rs 5 billion. The remaining funds were anticipated to be generated through various means by urban local bodies, including user charges, beneficiary fees, land monetization, debts, and loans.

Guwahati was selected as one of the initial 20 smart cities in the country, a key part of the ambitious Smart City programme initiated by the government to enhance living conditions in 100 towns and cities nationwide. However, recent evaluations by Niti Aayog have revealed a disappointing reality – Guwahati is among the least successful smart cities in the country. Out of a total of 185 projects, only nine projects worth a combined Rs 22.56 billion have been completed.Niti Aayog's analysis highlights that Guwahati's underwhelming performance is not an isolated case. Several other cities in the Northeastern region, including Shillong, Aizawl, and Imphal, have faced challenges in making significant progress in their respective smart city initiatives. Similarly, municipalities like Amaravati, Diu, Greater Warangal, Kavaratti, Port Blair, and Puducherry are also struggling and rank among the lowest-performing urban areas.The report also points out that 32 smart cities have exceeded their initial project completion targets, with some surpassing them by four times. Despite the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as political, regional, and local land and labor issues, an impressive Rs 390.85 billion worth of projects were successfully completed nationwide in the past year.The financial aspect of the Smart Cities Mission also displays positive trends. Funding provided by the Central Government increased from Rs 283.15 billion to Rs 348.87 billion by the end of 2022, showcasing a renewed commitment to accelerating the growth of smart cities.Regarding Guwahati, the city received a financial grant of Rs 3.96 billion from the Ministry of Urban Development, which remained unused until 2022. The total financial plan for Guwahati's five-year Smart City project was set at Rs 22.56 billion, with expectations that both the Central Government and the state administration would each contribute Rs 5 billion. The remaining funds were anticipated to be generated through various means by urban local bodies, including user charges, beneficiary fees, land monetization, debts, and loans.

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Infrastructure Energy

05 Nov 2025

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..