Government announces 9 new smart cities
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Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced nine new smart cities in the latest round of the central government's flagship Smart Cities Mission, on Friday.
The nine cities chosen in the fourth round are; Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.
LIVE: Union Minister @HardeepSPuri announces the list of nine new #SmartCities, which have emerged winners in Round 4
— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 19, 2018
1 Silvassa
2 Erode
3 Diu
4 Biharsharif
5 Bareilly
6 Itanagar
7 Moradabad
8 Saharanpur
9 Kavaratti
Watch: https://t.co/0q38QkRBi7 pic.twitter.com/q62lDXrPg9
This makes a total number of cities under the new project at 99. Shillong will be the 100th if it provides its proposal to the centre in the next three months.
Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has topped the list of winning cities in this round of competition.
According to the scheme, each city will get a sum of Rs 500 crore from the centre for coming up with new projects. An equal amount, on matching basis, will have to be contributed by the state or urban local bodies.
The minister stated that the nine cities have proposed an investment of Rs 12,824 crore rupees, for the 35.5 lakh people living in the area, and to develop 409 projects. He said, with the selection of these nine cities, the total proposed investment in 99 smart cities will be Rs 2,03,979 crore.
The mission of hundred smart cities was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015.
The West Bengal government, however, has already announced that it would not participate in the centre's Smart Cities Mission.
Asked whether New Town was still a part of the Smart Cities Mission, Puri said, "West Bengal is part of India and it bid for the scheme and New Town was one of the announced city for the mission."
'Smart City Centers', based on advanced technologies, have become operational in four cities - Pune, Surat, Vadodara and Kakinada and work is in progress in 18 more cities.
As on January 17, Puri said there were 2,948 projects worth Rs 1.38 lakh crore in various stages of implementation, while 189 projects worth Rs. 2,237 crore have been completed.
(With PTI inputs)