Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with its knowledge partner National Institute of Urban Affairs released a report “Smart Cities in India: Moving from Concept to Reality” against the backdrop of the “Conference on Smart & Liveable Cities: 5th Edition of Infra Conclave Rajasthan” organised by CII on 20 June 2014 at Jaipur.
Smart cities are a new paradigm for thinking about cities – their planning, development, management and use – and making the ‘shift’ to this new paradigm requires that all stakeholders are fully aware of the potentials and limitations of the concept. The report attempts to document the potentials in their full scope, moving from setting the context to the enabling mechanisms: the role of smart governance and technology and to the challenges of a Smart City Framework which also covers all the basic amenities required in our daily life.
It is also brought out that while ICT is a prerequisite for the Smart City, it is not a factor which can be assumed to exist in appropriate measure or manner. The ultimate test of a Smart City is whether it delivers the benefits of urban living equitably and efficiently to all city-dwellers.