Smart City Mission: Impact Analysis

On September 27, 2023m President Droupadi Murmu will facilitate the winners of ISAC or Indian Smart Cities Awards 2022 under Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). While Indore won the Best National Smart City award yet again, Surat and Agra stood second and third respectively and Coimbatore became the first southern city to win in the Built Environment Category. But has there been any grassroots-level change in these cities through the Smart Cities Mission? Have the projects undertaken by these winning smart cities made a difference in the lives of the inhabitants of these cities? Manisha Natarajan finds out from winners of ISAC 2022 - Surat and Coimbatore and industry experts - Shalini Agarwal - Municipal Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation; Mr M. Prathap - Municipal Commissioner and CEO Smart City, Coimbatore and NSN Murthy - Partner Government Consulting Leader, Deloitte, India