Budget 2014: Rs 7060-cr earmarked for implementing ‘smart cities’ concept
In the Union Budget 2014-15 presented on Thursday, July 10, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has given the concept of ‘smart cities’ a big push. The Budget not only provides a fresh direction to the popular concept, but also unfolds a roadmap for its effective implementation.
Jaitley has earmarked a sum of Rs 7,060 crore for the development of 100 smart cities; thus delivering on one of the promises which the Bharatiya Janata Party had made in its Election Manifesto.
With the government outlining plans for developing 100 smart cities, these cities will chiefly be developed as satellite towns of bigger cities and by modernizing and upgrading existing mid-sized cities.
Since efficient infrastructure network and delivery of services forms the main premise of a town, the smart city concept necessitates focus on a number of crucial verticals like telecommunications, logistics, water and gas supply via modern-day mechanism such as smart meters, sensors and global positioning systems.
Stressing on the need for smart city in the coming years, Jaitley pointed out that the pace of migration from the rural areas to the cities is on the increase because the benefits of development are reaching to an increasingly large number of people; and said: “Unless new cities are developed to accommodate the burgeoning number of people, the existing cities would soon become unliveable.”
Source- The Hindu
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