Modi government announces 98 smart cities; UP gets maximum number at 13

NEW DELHI: Marking a key step in the NDA government's infrastructure push, Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday announced the list of ninety eight smart cities that the government has shortlisted.

While Uttar Pradesh has bagged the maximum number of smart cities projects at 13, Tamil Nadu has got 12 and Maharashtra 10. Madhya Pradesh will have seven smart cities and Gujarat and Karnataka will have six each.

Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna don't figure in the list. The names of the cities selected for the Rs 48,000 crore Smart Cities project was released by the Centre pending a nomination each from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

While Jammu and Kashmir has to nominate one city, UP has got slots for 13 cities to be proposed as Smart City based on the urban population and number of notified cities.

"The Government of Jammu and Kashmir sought more time to firm up their choice. More information is sought from the Uttar Pradesh government about the 13th smart city that is yet to be announced," Naidu said.

According to UD Ministry sources, Jammu and Kashmir wants both Jammu and Srinagar to be developed as Smart City though the state has got only one slot in the project.

Both Meerut and Rae Bareli has got equal points for the 13th slot in the city challenge competition in UP so now the state has to decide whom it wants to nominate, sources added.

Asked when the names of the remaining two cities will be decided, Naidu said it will be decided in due course.

Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Bareilly, Aligarh, Jhansi, Sharanpur are among 12 cities selected in UP for the Smart City project.

However, Patna and Bangaluru and Mumbai are not in the list.

"It is the states which has sent the names of the cities to be included in the project. Names of Patna and Bangalore were not proposed by their respective states. As far as Mumbai is concerned, Maharashtra has proposed Mavi Mumbai for that purpose," Naidu said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government plans to spend over Rs 3 lakh crore over the next 5-6 years to recast urban cities. Of the 98 smart cities, 24 are business and industry centres, 18 are cultural and tourist centres & 3 are education and health care hubs, Naidu said.

According to Naidu, "13 crore population across 98 cities which is 35% of urban population will be covered under smart city mission." "Making them (cities) smart will make them engines of economic growth besides giving decent life to the citizens," Naidu said.

Smart cities will boast of features like variety of transport options; citizen-friendly governance; smart solutions for infrastructure and services. Here is a list of some of the features that smart cities will have: