Thinking about what a smart city looks like, or what are the essential points that need to be checked to become a smart city? The conceptualization of Smart City depends on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources, and aspirations of the city residents. But for sure, In the imagination of any city dweller in India, the picture of a smart city contains a wish list of infrastructure and services that can improve the quality of life in the city. 

In the approach of the Smart Cities Mission of the Rajasthan state, the goal was to develop cities that provide core infrastructure and a neat & sustainable environment. Their whole focus was on sustainable development and the idea was to look at dense areas & create an example that will act as a guide to other aspiring cities. Also, which can give a nice quality of life to its citizens.

The development of Smart Cities has been considered an important step in improving the quality of life and attracting people and investment, establishing a quality cycle of growth and progress.

For adding the layers of ‘smartness’ to the State of Rajasthan, the Government has taken bold steps to make a change In the direction of prioritizing the use of digital and information technology and adopting the best urban plans, public-private partnerships, and changes in policy approaches.

Rajasthan has ranked first in the country in the online ranking of 36 states and union territories under the Smart City Mission. Under the Smart City Mission, Rajasthan ranks first in the ranking as of July 15. Apart from this, Udaipur is ranked 5th, Kota 10th, Ajmer 22nd, and Jaipur 28th in the ranking of 100 cities of the country. For which the Rajasthan government of the state deserves appreciation. Because despite being hit by the Corona pandemic for more than a year, CM Gehlot has not allowed development works in the state to be interrupted. The Government of Rajasthan has ensured the supply of citizen services effectively by using technology in the smart city plan, according to the public’s expectations and including new public utility works in the cities as per the guidelines of the smart city. For the time-bound implementation of works in the state, CPM-PERT based action plan has been prepared and the works have been executed by effective monitoring. As a result of which the citizens have got the desired benefits.

The facilities provided by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to the workers working in smart city projects during the Corona period also gave impetus to its work. Along with providing free food to the workers through Indira Rasoi, the government also provided them with sanitizers, masks, etc. whereby the migration of workers could also be stopped completely.

The works being carried out under the Smart City Mission in the state included expansion of medical and sports facilities, water supply, solid waste management, civic education, works for public needs, and strengthening of urban infrastructure. Apart from this, the expansion of the Abhay Command and Control Center was started in the four smart cities to promote information and technology. By adopting smart provisions like reconstruction, redevelopment, and greenfield development by implementing the area-based development strategy for smart city development in a planned manner as a master plan, Rajasthan secured the first position by scoring more marks than Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. 

Let’s know about behind the scenes of this victory, the Total investment plan which was approved by MoHUA for the smart city mission was amounted to Rs 7025 Cr, for Jaipur: Rs 2401 Cr, Ajmer: Rs 1947 Cr, Udaipur: Rs 1221 Cr Kota: Rs 1456 Cr. The contribution of Smart City was Rs 4000 Cr and Convergence was Rs 3025 Cr. It will be very surprising to know that the rankings are based mainly on the implementation of the project, the financial progress made, utilization of funds received, and providing information to the Centre from time to time.

The victory of the Rajasthan Government in the Smart City Mission was hard and fast, as their efforts and inputs for smart & changed cities were true and countable. The government is doing its best to provide every citizen with the quality of life everyone needs, and it’s time for citizens to appreciate the endeavor of our Government.