Every minute about 25-30 people will migrate to major Indian cities from rural areas.  By 2030 almost half of India’s population is projected to live in cities.  India’s growth will be driven by this process.

The Indian Government wants to develop 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernizing the existing mid-sized cities. In the first round of this stage, 20 top scorers were chosen for financing during 2015-16 (like Pune, Jaipur, Surat, New Delhi, Ludhiana, Chennai, Udaipur, etc.). 

Smart Cities focus on the most pressing needs and improve the quality of life for residents today and in the future.

A total of INR 980 billion (US$ 15 billion) has been approved by the Indian Cabinet for development of 100 smart cities and rejuvenation of 500 others.

In our opinion building smart will only succeed when a consortium of companies (with an infrastructure company playing a leading) join hands and work closely together.  There are too many challenges to work independently and finish the project in time (smart cooperation).  This is a message we will convey to the Indian policy makers during our interactions.

We will also refer to examples of best practices of Belgian and Dutch cities and municipalities.