Smart Cities and Urban Development in India

In recent years, the urban sector in India has undergone a major change following the country's transition towards a market-based economy and the spirit of decentralization embodied in the Constitution (Seventy-fourth) Amendment Act, 1992 (relating to municipalities) which came into force on June 1, 1993. Municipalities are now constitutional bodies forming a third tier to the federal polity of India. Taking into account this existing and future scenario, the government of India has launched a number of programs to augment and modernize urban infrastructure. The development of smart cities is a step in that direction. The Smart Cities Mission, launched by the Prime Minister in June 2015, will cover 100 cities and its duration will be 5 years (2015-16 to 2019-20). This book provides a detailed account of problems arising from growing urbanization in India. It particularly focuses on policies and programs to deal with the challenges posed by rising urbanization, which is attributable in large measure to the migration of rural people to urban areas in search of employment and a better standard of living. [Subject: Urban Development, India Studies, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Environmental Policy, Urban Healthcare, Sociology]