During the ongoing Rajya Sabha session, the Central Government clarified that there is no proposal to include additional cities under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM). Responding to a query on whether the government plans to select another 100 cities for development as Smart Cities, Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, stated in a written reply that no such extension is presently under consideration.

Smart Cities Mission: Current financial outlay

The Smart Cities Mission, launched to enhance urban infrastructure, has a total budgetary outlay of Rs 48,000 crore for the development of 100 selected cities. As of November 11, 2024, a total of Rs 88,177 crore has been disbursed to the states and Union Territories (UTs). Out of this amount, Rs 82,351 crore has already been utilised, reflecting significant financial progress under the mission.

Project implementation progress

According to the data provided by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, work orders have been issued for 8,066 projects under the Smart Cities Mission, with a combined value of Rs 1,64,669 crore. Out of these, 7,352 projects (accounting for 91 percent of the total), worth Rs 1,47,366 crore, have been successfully completed. The remaining 714 projects, amounting to Rs 17,303 crore, are currently under various stages of implementation, as per the government's update to the Rajya Sabha. The government’s clarification indicates that its focus remains on completing the existing projects under the Smart Cities Mission. While the mission has achieved notable progress, the inclusion of additional cities is not being considered at this stage.