Smart Cities have issued 6,721 tenders for projects worth Rs 1,88 lakh crore: Puri

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said in Parliament on Monday that Smart Cities have tendered out 6,721 projects worth Rs 1,88,507 crore as on January 21, 2022. The initiative was launched in June 2015.

Out of the 6,721 tendered projects, work orders have been issued in 6,124 projects worth Rs 1,62,908 crore while 3,421 projects worth Rs 58,735 crore have been completed.

As on 21 January 2022, the Government of India has released Rs 28,413.60 crore for 100 Smart Cities, out of which Rs 23,668.27 crore (83 per cent) has been utilised, Puri said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The Government of India launched Smart Cities Mission (SCM) on 25 June 2015. 100 Smart Cities have been selected through 4 rounds of competition from January 2016 to June 2018. As per SCM Guidelines, Central Government is supposed to provide financial support to the extent of Rs 48,000 crore over five years i.e., on an average Rs 100 crore per city per year.

An equal amount on a matching basis is contributed by the State Government/Urban Local Body (ULB), the minister said.

"Presently, there is no proposal under consideration of the Government for adding more cities under SCM," Puri said.

( With inputs from ANI )