Centre to Incubate 8 New Smart Cities Under New Cities Scheme
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched a new scheme extending the Smart City Mission, with an allocation of Rs 8,000 crore as a performance-based challenge fund for incubating 8 new cities. This initiative aims to manage the rapid urbanization pressures following the success of the Smart Cities Mission. Under this scheme, each state can have only one new city through the allocated fund.
The selection process included the formation of an Expert Committee to finalize bid parameters and eligibility conditions. A total of 28 proposals from 23 states were received, despite the initial lack of proposals from the North-Eastern States. The proposed cities include notable ones like Kopparthay (Andhra Pradesh), Gumin Nagar (Arunachal Pradesh), New MOPA Ayush City (Goa), Aerocity (Kerala), and Thirumazhisai (Tamil Nadu), among others.
The Smart Cities Mission, under which 100 cities are developing over 8,000 multi-sectoral projects worth Rs 1.65 lakh crore, has made significant strides. Key achievements include operational Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC) in all cities, with over 83,000 CCTV cameras installed for crime monitoring and more than 9,400 Wi-Fi hotspots. Over 7,300 projects worth Rs 1.47 lakh crore have been completed, and 714 ongoing projects are advancing across various cities.
| Why in News | Key Points |
|---|---|
| MoHUA’s Smart Cities Scheme | – MoHUA launches Rs 8,000 crore scheme for 8 new smart cities under the Smart Cities Mission. – 23 states submitted 28 proposals for the new cities. – Scheme is for one city per state. – Focus on urban infrastructure and sustainability. – The existing Smart Cities Mission has funded 100 cities with 91% completion. |
| Ministry | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) |
| Budget Allocation | Rs 8,000 crore |
| Total Proposals | 23 states submitted 28 proposals |
| Cities Funded | 100 cities funded under the existing mission |
| Completion Status | 91% of projects completed under the existing mission |
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