NEW DELHI, May 25 - The Union Government on Tuesday announced the names of 13 more cities including two Northeastern cities of Imphal and Agartala, which will be developed under the Centre�s �Smart City Mission�.
Twenty-three cities with the higher rankings from as many States and Union Terrritories, which failed to get representation in the first round of a competition held in January, participated in the �Fast Track Competition�, the result of which was announced by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
Of these 23 cities, only 13 could qualify for the smart city projects through the fresh competition.
�The 13 cities selected in the Fast Track Competition have proposed a total investment of Rs 30,229 crore. With this, the investment proposed by 33 cities (20 cities announced in January and 13 cities now) under the smart city plans is now Rs 80,789 crore,� Naidu told a press conference.
Seven capital cities, including Itanagar, which were not included in the 100 cities shortlisted for the competition will be able to participate in the next round with other cities, the Minister said.
Ten cities that failed to make the cut were Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Shillong (Meghalaya), Namchi (Sikkim), Kohima (Nagaland) and Aizawl (Mizoram). These cities would be able to participate in the next round of the competition with other cities.
Assured water and power supply, sanitation and solid waste management systems, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, IT connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation are some of the highlights of the smart city project.
Under the Smart City Mission, 100 cities across the country will be developed as smart cities by 2019-20 with the Union Government providing financial support to the extent of Rs 48,000 crore over five years.
While 20 smart cities were selected during 2015-16 as per the Mission guidelines, another 40 (including 13 now) would be selected during 2016-17 and the remaining 40 during the next financial year.
Each city selected in different rounds of competition will be given Central assistance of Rs 200 crore in the first year and Rs 100 crore each during the subsequent three financial years.
State Governments and respective urban local bodies will provide matching funds to the same amount. � PTI
