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Introduction
Immediately after assuming power in May 2014, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to set up '100 Smart Cities5 throughout the country. With the contribution of urban India to the national GDP estimated at 75 per cent during 2030, the Smart Cities are expected to be engines of economic growth. The budget speech of the Finance Minister in July 2014 mentioned that the aspirations of the neo-middle class towards better living standards are to be achieved by developing Smart Cities as satellite towns for larger cities and by modernising existing mid-size cities. According to the draft concept-note prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Government of India, they will comprise 9 satellite cities with a population of 4 million or more, 44 cities in the population range of 1-4 million, 17 state/Union Territory (UT) capitals, 10 cities of tourist and religious importance, and 20 cities in the population range of 0.5 to 1 million (MoUD 2014: 21-22). The focus will be on the development of high-end infrastructure and technology-enabled governance, with the objectives of accomplishing competitive, investor-friendly and world-class entities. The concept-note indicates the three cardinal principles for Smart Cities as: competitiveness, quality of life and sustainability.
The concept of a 'Smart City5 has become popular in the policy arena of the European Union (EU) and other developed countries. The Smart Cities Readiness Guide of the Smart Cities Council, an advocacy group of industry houses, defines a Smart City as one that uses 'information and communications technology (ICT), to enhance its livability, workability and sustainability5 (Smart Cities Council 2013: 5). It identifies the seven drivers of Smart City development as: (a) increasing urbanisation with the addition of 700 million to the urban population over the next decade; (b) growing stress due to unemployment, crowding, inadequate housing; (c) demand and supply gap in infrastructure; (d) economic competition among cities to secure investments; (e) rising expectation of citizens towards worldclass education, health care, recreation and a responsive government; (f) growing environmental challenges related to carbon emission and global warming; and (g) expanding technolog)' options in the areas of ICT, electronics and telecommunication, energy, water and waste management. The 'Internet of Things5 (IOT) has become a major...