| India is all set to become the most-populous country in the world by 2030, making it the home to the biggest and the most under-penetrated market for global manufacturers and service providers. Unlike its preceding generations, this growing population is also shifting to top tier cities of the country giving rise to new megacities estimated to generate 80% of economic growth, with potential to apply modern technologies and infrastructure, promoting better use of scarce resources. As per the latest reports, more people are drifting from rural areas to major Indian cities in search of livelihood and better lifestyles. Urbanization has already been taken place more rapidly and most enthusiastically. To accommodate this massive urbanization, India needs to find smarter ways to manage complexities, reduce expenses, increase efficiency and improve the quality of life. With this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision "Digital India," has set an ambitious plan to build 100 smart cities across the country. India has also been inviting foreign partnership in developing the smart cities and has signed deals to build eight cities - three with Germany, three with the US, and one each with Spain and Singapore. Our Prime minister's dream and ambitious program of building 100 smart cities in India has still to go a long way ahead. The concept of smart cities is bit challenging which can only be made possible through the honest cooperation and coordination between the central and the state governments. The concept behind developing the smart cities is to create highly advanced urban regions in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. When reviewing earlier literature, it has been found that the urbanization of the universal population is executed but a major trend which started centuries ago and will persist in the future. Presently, people are facing new challenges as the urban population becomes richer, enthusiastic to travel and more demanding in terms of happiness such as the lessening or control of pollution due to increasing activity, balancing the ease of individual transport and its consequences on traffic blockage, the need for security while preserving privacy, the need for instant information on any situation all within the land of a reduced taxation system. The standards for being recognized as a smart city must have three of the five infrastructure requirements such as energy management, water management, transport and travel, safety and security and solid waste management. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly raised the issue of unemployed youths migrating from their home States to technologically developed cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bangalore to improve their lifestyle and gain prosperity which is causing huge economic problems. Such migration is greatly putting burden on the public facilities available in these cities as well as there is an issue of getting jobs to needy people. News reports revealed that India will need about 500 new cities to hold the huge arrival of population from rural or semi developed areas to the urban area. Visualizing the need for speedy urbanization, the Government has made the vision to build hundred smart cities to make India manufacturing centre and for the rapid economic development. The smart cities mission is an innovative and new initiative by the government of India to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens. The mission is basically aimed to improve the standard of life of the people living in cities. The core infrastructure elements in a smart city include adequate water supply, assured electricity supply, sanitation including solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, affordable housing, robust IT connectivity and digitalization, good governance, especially e-governance, and citizen participation and sustainable environment. 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 requires smart people who actively participate in governance and reforms. Citizen involvement is much more than a ceremonial participation in governance. Smart people involve themselves in the definition of the Smart City, decisions on deploying Smart Solutions, implementing reforms, doing more with less and oversight during implementing and designing post-project structures in order to make the Smart City developments sustainable. A smart city brings together technology, government and society to enable a smart economy, smart environment, smart mobility, smart people, smart living, smart governance et al. It is worthwhile to mention here that the twin capitals of our state are also included in the smart cities mission which is really a good step to move forward as far as urban infrastructural development of the Jammu and Kashmir state is concerned. Let's hope that the work on the smart cities program in our state will also start soon without any hurdle. At last, it can be said that new strategy of Modi has created enthusiasm amongst industry directors and urban leaders to enhance the status of cities in coming years. But it depends on the honest approach of leaders and business players who can develop good city policy that can bring desired outcomes such as more sustainable, more prolific and better-governed cities. Both smart and conventional cities require strong and efficient local institutions to do well. |
