The Government has released the list of first 20 smart cities out of the 98 shortlisted for the Smart Cities mission. These 20 cities will be the first to receive funds, thus kick started the process of developing them into smart cities.
Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday announced the names of cities in New Delhi. The Union Minister said standardized format enabled cities and towns express themselves fully and Local body and State have to work hard to upgrade their cities.
Urban Development Minister also said the cities have been selected only on the basis of the merit list provided by the states and not on the geographical considerations. The minister said that Indian companies have been associated with the smart cities mission.