London School of Economics praises smart city initiative

The Centre's flagship initiative Smart City Mission has received its first international affirmation from the London School of Economics.

A study from the prestigious institution has said that Indian smart cities could become lighthouses for other cities around the world.

It’s been two years that the Narendra Modi government had launched the mission, with an aim to smarten up 98 cities, which was to be done by promoting economic growth and improved governance in the said cities.

The study by LSE was conducted after the first set of 20 cities was chosen in January 2016 through a competitive process to initiate the mission.

As per the study, the research examined the proposals of each city and conducted interviews with stakeholder so that the selection process and the quality of the mission could be tested.

The study praises that the challenge for choosing smart cities was conducted in an innovative and transparent manner, stating that the due to this process, local leaders have had a new thinking and are encouraged to "perform well under pressure" and "work across departments."

Other than the innovation, citizens' participation in framing a city's plan has also been appreciated by the study.

"This is a major step forward in a country with historic traditions of urban bureaucratic control... It shows that the central government's active role in facilitating greater citizen participation at the local level was critical; and has immense potential to improve developmental outcomes," the study said.

"India's experience navigating this process will have implications and lessons for other rapidly urbanizing regions. In that way, India's smart cities can be 'lighthouses' - not just for Indian cities but also for cities around the world," it added.

(Image source Evening Standard)