Challenge of Making Smart Cities in India

The Indian government has launched the Smart Cities Mission in June 2015 with the aim of providing a better quality of life to the citizens in 100 cities of the country. This paper describes the main features of the Mission and attempts to explain the challenges in the way forward.

The information provided in the paper is presented in six sections.
Section one highlights the unique characteristics of India’s cities and establishes the need for better urban management. The second section describes five negative effects of urbanization to which sufficient attention has not been paid. These include informal growth in peri-urban areas, escalating water crisis, social exclusion, extension of slums, and mismanagement of solid waste. In the next section, the impact of past urban reform initiatives is discussed and attention is drawn to the difficulties being faced in overcoming some enduring challenges. Section four provides detailed information about India’s Smart Cities Mission including the process followed in the selection of cities, the plan preparation and implementation strategy. Then, an assessment of the relevance and soundness of the Mission is proposed in the fifth section.
In the concluding section, a list of propositions is put forward for the successful achievement of the Mission goals. It is emphasized that civic institutions should correctly understand a city’s social, economic and physical requirements and its diversity, and respond accordingly. At the same time, citizens should show a greater sense of civic responsibility.
Available in:
Regions and themes
Share
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
Challenge of Making Smart Cities in India
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programsFind out more
Discover all our analysesQuest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US - China Rivalry
Building on the 2020 European Think Tank Network on China (ETNC) report, which assessed Europe’s positioning in this context, this edition re-examines the geopolitical landscape in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. This report features 22 national chapters and one dedicated to the EU, analysing the evolution of Europe’s relations with Washington and Beijing, the range of approaches to dealing the US-China rivalry and how these are expected to evolve.

France seeks third way between US and China in Southeast Asia
The French leader sent a message of partnership but gave few concrete details on sustained engagement plans.
Mid-term Elections in the Philippines: The Clan War Reaches New Heights
Three years after the last general and presidential elections, Filipino voters once again went to the polls on May 12, 2025, to elect their municipal and parliamentary representatives.
India’s Green Hydrogen Strategy in Action: Policy Actions, Market Insights, and Global Opportunities
India is poised to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and this rapid growth is driving a sharp rise in energy demand. As the most populous country on the planet, India urgently needs to decarbonize its energy systems.