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Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surar among first 20 smart cities

by India Blooms News Service 28 Jan 2016, 11:54 am

New Delhi, Jan 28 (IBNS) Pulling up a surprise, Bhubaneswar was on Thursday named at the top of the first 20 smart cities.

Announcing the list,  Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also named  Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Solapur, Indore and Udaypur  among the privileged cities to be chosen for a 'Smart City' makeover..

As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan, the incumbent government will build 100 smart cities in India.

The smart cities will have all the basic amenities apart from having dedicated IT connectivity.

To earn a 'Smart' tag, the city has to check out all the boxes that include service levels, infrastructure and track record. Proposals from states were also judged on how realistic their plan is.


The cities not named today will be asked to get their act together, focus on deficiencies and prepare for Round 2 of the competition.

Each state will have at least one Smart City, which, in PM Modi's words, translates to "very high quality of life comparable with any developed European city".