SMART Cities Mission, SMART City - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Amritsar

Explanation:
Golden Temple City of Amritsar topped the list of 27 new smart cities announced by Minister of Urban Development.

• 8 other cities of pilgrim and tourist importance made it to the list as well
• These are: Ujjain, Tirupati, Agra, Nashik, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ajmer and Varanasi.
• With this the number of cities selected under Smart City Mission for financing implementation of smart city plans has gone up to 60.
• The Minister informed that the new 27 smart cities have proposed an investment of INR66,883 cr under smart city plans including INR42,524 cr under Area Based Development and another INR11,379 cr for technology based Pan-city solutions that benefits all the citizens of respective cities.
• With this, the total investment proposed by the 60 cities selected so far has gone up to INR1,44,742 cr, he said.
• The 27 smart cities announced today are from 12 States including 5 from Maharashtra, 4 each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, 3 from Uttar Pradesh and 2 each from Punjab and Rajasthan.
• NE states Nagaland and Sikkim have made it to the smart city list for the first time.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• With the result of the second round, implementation of smart city plans is now spread over 27 States and UTs.
• 9 States/UTs still to enter implementation phase are: Uttarakhand, J & K, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra, Nagar & Haveli.
• The next round of competition to select the remaining 40 cities would begin in January next year.
• Initially in Round 1, 20 cities were selected. Then 13 were added through fast track route. Now in round 2, 27 more are selected.

ANSWER: Amritsar

Explanation:

• The Golden Temple city of Amritsar topped the list of 27 new smart cities.
• Eight other cities of pilgrim and tourism importance that made to the third list of smart cities are: Ujjain, Tirupati, Agra, Nashik, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ajmer and Varanasi.
• With this the number of cities selected under Smart City Mission for financing implementation of smart city plans has gone up to 60.
• The 27 smart cities announced today are from 12 States including 5 from Maharashtra, 4 each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, 3 from Uttar Pradesh and 2 each from Punjab and Rajasthan. Nagaland and Sikkim have made it to the smart city list for the first time.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• Government today announced 13 more smart cities.
• Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition.
• 13 winners of Fast track Smart City competition are Lucknow, Warangal, Dharamsala, Chandigarh, Raipur, New Town Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Panaji, Port Blair, Imphal, Ranchi, Agartala and Faridabad.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:
- 500 cities and towns, with a population of one lakh and above each accounts for 73% of urban population of the country and are also the main focus of the Government under AMRUT to ensure basic infrastructure while Under Smart Cities Mission, quality of life will be enhanced in 100 identified cities.
- Smart Cities Mission aims at development of entire urban eco-system of cities covering physical, social, economic and institutional infrastructure.
- The objective is to enable better living and driving economic growth for the benefit of all sections.
- This will be implemented through enhancing infrastructure in already built up areas and adopting smart solutions, redevelopment by demolishing already built up areas with fresh layouts for intensive land use and smart solutions, Pan-city projects for the benefit of all citizens like e-governance and appropriate smart solutions.
- Greenfield projects can be taken up for accommodating people outside existing cities.

ANSWER: Uttar Pradesh

Explanation:
The aspirants’ cities were selected by the States and Union Territories on the parametres set by the Centre. Announcing the list in New Delhi, Union Urban Development Minister, M Venkaiah Naidu said, it include 13 cities from Uttar Pradesh, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 10 from Maharashtra, 7 from Madhya Pradesh, 3 each from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. All other states have also got one or two cities for the purpose.

Out of these 98 cities, 24 are capital cities, 24 are business and industrial centres, 18 are of cultural and tourism importance, 5 are port cities and three are educational and healthcare hubs. 9 capital cities including Patna, Shimla, Bengaluru, Daman, Kolkata did not find place for smart city development. Two more cities will be announced in due course since the Government of Jammu and Kashmir sought more time to firm up their choice and there was tie between Meerut and Raibarelly in Uttar Pradesh.

ANSWER: 3

Explanation:
The three projects are Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, AMRUT and Housing For All.

ANSWER: Bloomberg Philanthropies

Explanation:
Bloomberg Philanthropies will act as Knowledge Partner for the Smart Cities Mission. The Mission for building 100 Smart Cities was approved by the Union Cabinet on April 29, 2015. Under this Mission, central government will spend Rs. 48,000 Cr. over the next five years for providing an assistance of Rs.100 cr per year for each selected city.

ANSWER: Spain

Explanation:
Spain has proposed cooperation with India in developing smart and sustainable cities in the country and presented a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard. The MoU relating to urban development was presented during the meeting of a Spanish delegation led by its Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Garcia-Margallo Marfil with the Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu in Parliament House in New Delhi.

ANSWER: Puducherry

Explanation:
Puducherry has emerged as the first nomination to be received by the Ministry of Urban Development. The High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC) constituted as per the Mission Guidelines and headed by Chief Secretary has overseen the process of first stage intra-state competition and sent its recommendations to the Urban Development Ministry of the Government of India.