Launched in 2015, the Smart Cities Mission selected one hundred cities through competition to receive funding for technology-led and area-based development, including command-and-control centres, sensors and concentrated retrofit or greenfield projects. Implementation ran largely through special-purpose vehicles rather than elected municipalities, drawing debate over accountability and the narrow geography of investment. The mission reframed Indian urban policy around digital infrastructure and selective upgrading.
It embedded digital, data-driven and area-based development in Indian urban policy while raising questions about democratic local control.
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