As the fruits of development reach an increasingly large number of people, the pace of migration from the rural areas to the cities is increasing. Unless new cities are developed to accommodate the burgeoning number of people, the existing cities would soon become unlivable.
-Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley while proposing the Union Budget.
On July 11, 2014, the finance minister, in his Union Budget speech, announced a budget of Rs. 7,060 crore for the development of 100 smart cities in the country. These cities will be developed as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernizing the existing mid-sized cities.
When someone talks about ‘Smart Cities’, there are numerous questions that arise in a layman’s mind. What are Smart Cities? Why do we need them? How are they going to benefit me? Can I be a part of one? And many more…Let’s spell out the nitty-gritty of the concept.
