Government to issue a list of “Smart Cities” in June 2020.

The Smart Cities Mission will complete its five years of implication and the central government is going to publish a report card in June, consisting of 100 chosen smart cities into three categories – ease of living, municipal performance index and climate.

It will allow cities to plan better and move towards data-driven governance, which will improve their livability eventually, says the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Union.

Kunal Kumar, Director of Smart Cities Mission, said that in June, the ministry will be rating the smart cities in terms of a living index, municipalities’ performance and the climate.

“We’re using data to make a difference in life. The government ranks cities with respect to economy, sustainability and others. We have turned the expectations of citizens into our results,” Kumar said to PTI.

He said that in the climate category, the cities will be listed on the basis of their work to promote environmental issues. In June 2015, the Narendra Modi Government’s Flagship initiative Smart Cities Mission was launched.

The urban population of the country in the 2011 census was 37.7 crore (31%) and by 2030, it is expected to rise to 60 crores (40%), an official said.

The official states that three parameters – quality of life, economic ability and sustainability – shall be used for ease of living evaluation. Education, wellness, housing, accessibility, safety, development and economic opportunities are also included.

The official said the measuring would be 35% for “quality of living” and 30% for the participation of people, 20% for sustainability and 20% for economic viability.

The municipal performance evaluation will help urban local authorities to reduce the complex governance realities into a few understandable and quantifiable dimensions.

The verticals covered by the index include services (30% weight), finance (20%), technology (15%), planning (15%) and governance (20%).

The Ministry stated up to now there is over Rs 1,62,000 Crore of tendered smart city projects. The amount of work orders given so far is about Rs 1,20,000 Crore, and more than Rs 25,000 Crores for all projects completed.