Mentor’s Comment:

Introduction should talk in general about the Smart City Mission, with explaining why it has been started. Poor living infrastructure, low performance in HDI rank, lack of house in cities for people etc. can be the suitable reasons apart from others as well.

Further, mention how Smart Cities Mission been Project-Based and lack integrated vision. Like, it has failed to address rural-urban linkages, lack of city development model, no effective monitoring with the concern of Human Rights, rising trend of privatization of governance, forced land acquisition, displacement, low compensation for land acquired, increasing interests of businessman on land nearby the project and thus low cost settlement etc…etc…

Next, mention what needs to be done. The need is to have human rights based implementation and monitoring framework on the line of environmental sustainability under UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Effective implementation, proper identification of beneficiary etc…etc…

Conclusion should talk about what should be the importance of SCM for government as well as for citizens. It should also mention the need to address various problems as a way forward.

Model Answer:

Why Smart Cities Mission started:

• India ranks 131 (out of 188 countries) on the Human Development Index and records the world’s largest number of people, 642 million, living in multidimensional poverty (UNDP 2016).
• While the rate of urbanization is increasing, the country still has about 69 per cent of its population or over 800 million people living in rural areas.
• Urbanization processes, however, have not been entirely inclusive. This is reflected in the fact that about one in six  urban  dwellers  lives  in  an  inadequate  settlement  without  basic  services  (Census  2011);  nearly  two-thirds  of urban  households  do  not  have  access  to  water  within  the  house;  and  about  85  million  urban  Indians  lack adequate sanitation facilities.
• About one per cent of the population in cities (3–4 million people) is estimated to be homeless, without any form of shelter.
• The Smart  Cities  Mission  (SCM)  was  launched  by  the  Government  of  India  in  June  2015  to  create  100  ‘smart cities’ in the country (initially by the year 2020 but now revised to 2023).
• As of  June  2018,  the  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA)  has  chosen  99  cities  to  be  developed  as ‘smart  cities’  in  India,  on  the  basis  of  the  Smart  City  Proposals  submitted  by  them  under  the  competition framework of the India Smart Cities Challenge.

How Smart Cities Mission been ‘Project-Based’ & lacks Integrated Vision:

• With the  limited  focus  on  pan-city  initiatives,  the  Mission  does  not  adopt  a  progressive  vision  of  change  for  the entire ‘smart city.
• It has failed to address rural-urban linkages on a continuum.
• There is  a lack  of a  city development  model  and adequate  standards  to  guide project  implementation,  including for housing, water, sanitation, health, and environmental sustainability.
• It does not include any human rights-based indicators to monitor implementation of the Mission or to ensure that projects will also benefit low-income and other disadvantaged groups.
• There is a Dilution of democracy and a rising trend of the privatization of governance
• There is likelihood of increased segregation and gentrification.
• There is Threat of forced evictions, land acquisition, and displacement low-income settlements under the guise of creating ‘cities without  slums,  Also  there  is  a  fear  of increased  land acquisition, particularly  along economic and industrial corridors.

What needs to be done?

While  it  may  be  too  late  to  backtrack  on  or  reverse  the  process  that  the  Mission  has  embarked  on,  it  is  not  too  late  to change the direction of its trajectory.

• The Smart  Cities  Mission  needs  a  human  rights-based  implementation  and  monitoring  framework  to  assess  the achievement  of  targets  and  to  ensure  that  its  projects  comply  with  national  and  international  law  and  promote human rights and environmental sustainability.
• The Mission must develop a special focus on the needs, concerns, and rights of marginalized individuals, groups, and communities.
• Meaningful participation  and  engagement  should  be  a  priority  in  the  selection  and  execution  of  ‘smart city’ projects in all SCM cities.
• Cities should define ‘affordable housing’ with clear income-based criteria. ‘Rehabilitation’ and ‘slum-free city’ projects should not be an excuse to destroy low-income settlements.
• Efforts must be made to protect the right to privacy, and to prevent surveillance and misuse of big data.
• The Special Purpose Vehicle tasked with implementing the Mission must work within the framework of democracy provided by the Constitution of India and must respect local institutions and governments.
• Improved convergence  of  all  government  schemes  along  with  better  inter-ministerial  coordination  is  a  vital requirement.
• Implementation of  the  Smart  Cities  Mission  should  align  with  India’s  legal  commitments  under  the  Sustainable Development  Agenda  2030,  the  Paris  Agreement,  and  the  New  Urban    It  should  also  aim  to  implement recommendations  from  India’s  third  Universal  Periodic  Review,  several  of  which  related  to  sustainable development, housing, and green cities.

Way Forward:

• It is  important  for  the  Indian  government,  at  both  the  central  and  state  levels,  to  adopt  a  strong  human  rights approach in all policies and schemes, including the Smart Cities Mission.
• These measures  will  not  only  help  India  to  meet  its  national  and  international  legal  and  moral  commitments, including  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  and  Paris  Agreement  targets,  but  also  ensure  that  the  nation achieves inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and balanced urban-rural development.
• The Mission  requires  greater  citizen  participation,  better  institutional  mechanisms  for  improved  urban governance, and increased transparency and accountability.