Overview
- Rahul Gandhi, posting Tuesday, called the Smart Cities Mission a half-baked scheme and said the promise of whole-city change was never the goal.
- For 100 selected cities, a parliamentary reply from Minister Tokhan Sahu reported a central allocation of Rs 48,000 crore, Rs 47,458 crore claimed, and Rs 46,326 crore utilized in a city-wise breakdown.
- The ministry said 8,064 projects have been taken up since launch with 7,784 marked complete and 280 under implementation, covering Rs 1,64,811 crore in total outlays.
- The government said the programme focuses on specific zones through retrofitting, redevelopment, greenfield sites, and pan-city tech solutions rather than entire cities, and it cited a NITI Aayog evaluation from September 2025.
- Gandhi pressed for clear indicators and independent checks after citing deaths linked to contaminated water, open sewers, collapsing bridges, and caving roads, and he urged residents to assess changes in their own cities.