Government of India Smart City Initiatives: From Digital India to Inclusive Access

India’s urban transformation journey took a significant leap forward in 2015 when the Government of India launched two ambitious initiatives aimed at building a digitally empowered, inclusive nation. The Digital India programme, launched on July 1, 2015, laid the foundation for a knowledge economy, while the Smart Cities Mission followed on June 25, 2015, targeting the development of 100 sustainable, citizen-friendly urban centres. Together, these initiatives represent one of the most comprehensive efforts to modernise India’s cities while ensuring no citizen is left behind.

Digital India and the Smart Cities Mission 🔗

The Digital India programme was designed around three core objectives: developing secure digital infrastructure, delivering government services electronically, and achieving universal digital literacy. The initiative focuses on connecting rural areas with high-speed internet networks and improving online infrastructure to bring government services to every citizen’s doorstep.

Building on this digital foundation, the Smart Cities Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the goal of promoting cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environments, and a decent quality of life through smart solutions. The mission covers 100 cities with a total central government allocation of ₹48,000 crore, distributed equally between central and state governments through a 50:50 cost-sharing model.

Implementation approach 🔗

The Smart Cities Mission follows a two-pronged development strategy. The first approach involves Area-Based Development, where each city selects a defined area for targeted interventions through retrofitting, redevelopment, or greenfield development. The second approach focuses on Pan-City Projects that implement technology-driven solutions spanning the entire city.

Each city has established a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as a limited company under the Companies Act, 2013, with equal equity held by the state and urban local body. As of 2025, all 100 Smart Cities have operational Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) that utilise data analytics, AI, and IoT for informed decision-making across urban services including transport, water supply, and solid waste management.

Promoting accessibility: The Accessible India Campaign 🔗

Recognising that truly inclusive smart cities must serve all citizens, the Government launched the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) on December 3, 2015. This nationwide initiative by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities aims to achieve universal accessibility for persons with disabilities across three key areas: built environment, transportation systems, and information and communication ecosystems.

India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which mandates accessibility to physical environments, transportation, and information. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the earlier 1995 legislation to align with these international obligations.

Progress and challenges 🔗

The campaign has achieved notable milestones: access audits of 1,671 buildings have been completed, and 1,630 government buildings now feature accessibility provisions. All 35 international airports and 55 domestic airports have been equipped with accessibility features. In the railway sector, all 709 A1, A, and B category stations provide short-term accessibility facilities. Additionally, approximately 71% of government and government-aided schools have been made barrier-free with ramps, handrails, and accessible toilets.

However, progress has faced delays. Initial targets were missed by one to three years, prompting the government to extend deadlines. The campaign’s objectives have since been integrated into the Creation of Barrier-Free Environment Scheme under the broader Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

The 3As framework: accessibility, adaptability, affordability 🔗

For smart cities to be genuinely inclusive, urban planners and policymakers propose a framework built on three interconnected pillars. This approach ensures that technological advancement benefits all citizens, not just the digitally connected.

Accessibility 🔗

This pillar emphasises last-mile connectivity, ensuring that smart city services reach every resident regardless of their physical location or ability. It encompasses both digital access through broadband and mobile connectivity, as well as physical access through well-designed public spaces and transportation networks.

Adaptability 🔗

Citizens must possess the awareness and capacity to engage with new technologies. This requires sustained investment in digital literacy programmes, community education, and user-friendly interfaces that accommodate varying levels of technological proficiency. The Digital India initiative’s focus on training and capacity-building directly supports this objective.

Affordability 🔗

Financial sustainability demands careful analysis of expenditures and budgets. Smart city solutions must be economically viable not just for implementation, but for long-term maintenance and scaling. The Public-Private Partnership model adopted across smart cities addresses this by attracting private investment while ensuring public benefit.

Smart cities in the COVID-19 pandemic 🔗

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unexpected test of India’s smart city infrastructure, and the investments proved remarkably valuable. ICCCs across India were rapidly converted into COVID-19 War Rooms, serving as nerve centres for coordinating pandemic response efforts.

Data-driven decision making 🔗

Cities like Pune, Surat, and Bengaluru deployed integrated data dashboards at their ICCCs to provide real-time updates on coronavirus status across different administrative zones. These dashboards consolidated information from COVID applications and spatial mapping analysis, enabling informed decision-making on containment strategies. Pune Smart City collaborated with the municipal corporation to develop geo-spatial mapping of cases, using heat-mapping technologies and predictive analytics to identify containment zones.

Innovative surveillance and monitoring 🔗

Smart cities deployed creative technological solutions for pandemic management. Vadodara installed helium balloons equipped with cameras and public address systems for monitoring lockdown compliance in containment zones. The city divided its territory into red, orange, yellow, and green zones based on health assessments and case clustering patterns.

Agra’s administration leveraged its ICCC for AI-based video analytics to monitor social distancing compliance, with alerts configured through mobile apps for field personnel. The city also launched the Agra Lockdown Monitoring App, making surveillance accessible to all police station in-charges.

Healthcare innovation 🔗

Agra Smart City introduced E-Doctor Seva, a tele-video consultation facility developed through public-private partnership. This telemedicine service allowed residents to book appointments with healthcare professionals and receive online prescriptions, reducing the burden on hospitals and minimising infection risks.

Bengaluru established a Model COVID-19 War Room with a comprehensive data dashboard serving as the single source for all COVID-related information, including quarantine cases, medical personnel deployment, and hospital capacity. This infrastructure supported the Indian Institute of Science and other organisations in developing coordinated response strategies.

Citizen communication and support 🔗

The pandemic response extended beyond surveillance to community engagement. Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation used its Facebook page to publish daily activity schedules featuring local experts in yoga, culinary arts, music, and philosophy, keeping citizens engaged during lockdowns. Chandigarh installed comprehensive “fight COVID stations” with thermal screening, pedestal-operated handwash dispensers, and mist spray disinfection systems.

Lessons and legacy 🔗

The pandemic experience demonstrated that smart city infrastructure investments deliver returns beyond their original intended purposes. The ICCCs designed for routine urban management seamlessly transitioned to emergency response roles, highlighting the value of adaptable digital infrastructure.

As of March 2025, the Smart Cities Mission has achieved significant progress with 94% of approximately 8,067 projects completed. The mission has established over 84,000 CCTV cameras for public safety, developed 9,433 smart classrooms across 71 cities, and installed 172 e-health centres. Cities like Coimbatore have replaced over 97,000 streetlights with LED lamps and installed solar systems generating over 8 MW of clean energy.

The integration of Digital India principles with Smart Cities Mission objectives continues to shape urban development across India. From improved governance through e-services to enhanced quality of life through technology-enabled infrastructure, these initiatives represent a comprehensive approach to building cities that are not just smart, but truly inclusive and resilient.

What do you think? As smart cities continue to evolve, how can India balance the rapid deployment of surveillance technologies with citizens’ privacy rights? And what additional measures would ensure that elderly, disabled, and economically disadvantaged residents benefit equally from smart city infrastructure?

References

1. https://www.digitalindia.gov.in/about-us/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_India
3. https://smartcities.gov.in/about-the-mission
4. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=154736&ModuleId=3
5. https://depwd.gov.in/en/accessible-india-campaign/
6. https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sugamya-bharat-abhiyan
7. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/indian-smart-cities-offer-a-model-for-pandemic-recovery/
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10671105/
9. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1614467
10. https://inc42.com/buzz/indias-smart-cities-get-primed-to-fight-covid-19-with-tech-innovations/