Prime Minister Narender Modi’s first and pet Project -100 Smart Cities Mission was launched on 25 June 2015 which is fast becoming a failed one. Despite having an approved huge budget by the Cabinet, the project has not been completed even after 11 years. A total of 98,000 crore (US$14 billion) was approved by the Cabinet for the development of 100 smart cities in India and the rejuvenation of 500 others cities. The scheme for 100 smart cities in the country was rolled out by the Union government in June, 2015 and a total of 20 cities were selected in the first round by January, 2016. As many as 40 cities were selected by September, 2016, in the second round. In its 3rd term, PM Modi should prioritize the pending projects specially the 100 SMART CITIES which never took off in the real sense. Otherwise it will start haunting him in the near future.
Several smart cities are yet to be complete half way even. Though Rs. 48,000 cr was the total approved budget between 2015 and 2019, just half of that has been allocated till now. While over Rs.17,000 crore has been released for different projects, only Rs. 6,160 has been used. By 2023, research and advisory firm Gartner predicts that 30% of smart city projects will be discontinued. Till date, not a single smart city has been completed, thus putting a big blot on the success story of Modi Government and he must pay attention in his 3rd term as PM to complete these unfinished projects and earn goodwill for his political future.
