Smart Cities Mission

Why is in news? India Smart Cities Conclave 2023 to be held in Indore on 26-27th September, 2023

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India is organizing the India Smart Cities Conclave 2023 at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore, Madhya Pradesh on 26-27th September 2023.

The Conclave will witness participation of all 100 smart cities who are leading a paradigm shift in the practice of city development by being at the forefront of urban innovation.

The event will provide a platform for the cities to showcase their exemplary work done under the Mission to help crystallize roadmap for future of urban transformation in the country.

The President of India will be felicitating the winners of the fourth edition of the India Smart Cities Award Contest (ISAC) 2022 on 27th September 2023.

The ISAC is being organized under the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India since 2018.

This is one of the important activities initiated under the Mission, where pioneering city strategies, projects and ideas are recognized to award exemplary performance, enable peer-peer learning and disseminate best practices.

About the mission:

Smart Cities Mission launched on 25 June 2015, is aimed at providing core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.

It is a transformational mission aimed to bring about a paradigm shift in the practice of urban development in the country.

As on date, 6,000+ projects worth more than ₹ 1.1 lakh crore have been completed and the remaining projects will be completed by 30 June 2024.

Most notable milestone achieved in the Mission has been, the Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC) which is operational in all 100 Smart Cities.

These ICCCs work as the brain and nervous system for city operations, using technology for urban management. The urban services have significantly improved in diverse fields like crime tracking, safety & security of citizens, transport management, solid waste management, water supply, disaster management etc.

100 Smart Cities have taken up projects across diverse sectors related to mobility, energy, water, sanitation, solid waste management, vibrant public spaces, social infrastructure, smart governance, etc.

Overview of ISAC awards:

In the past, the ISAC has witnessed three editions in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The ISAC recognizes and reward the cities, projects and innovative ideas that are promoting sustainable development across the 100 smart cities, as well as stimulating inclusive, equitable, safe, healthy and collaborative cities, thus enhancing quality of life for all.

The fourth edition of the ISAC was launched in April 2022 during the ‘Smart Cities-Smart Urbanization’ event in Surat.

The ISAC 2022 award had a two-stage submission process consisting of ‘Qualifying Stage’, which involved overall assessment of the city’s performance, and the ‘Proposal Stage’ which required the smart cities to submit their nominations for six award categories as follows: Project Awards, Innovation Awards, City Awards, State Awards, UT Award, and Partners Awards.