A decade after the promise of smarter skylines, the blueprint is still a work in progress. Progress on Paper, Deadlines Extended Of the 100 cities selected under the Smart Cities Mission launched in 2016, only 31 have been officially converted into ‘smart’ cities, according to an RTI reply from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The five-year project, initially structured in four phases, has been extended three times — first to June 2023, then to June 30, 2024, and most recently to March 31, 2025. Under the phased rollout, 20 cities were chosen in January 2016, followed by 40 between May and September 2016, 30 in June 2017, and the final 10 by January 2018. The ministry stated that as of December 2025, 31 cities have been transformed at a cost of ₹59,385 crores over roughly 10 years. However, it clarified that the Mission was not intended to overhaul entire cities but to focus on area-based development — including redevelopment, green spaces and infrastructure upgrades — without demolishing existing structures. The model was designed to be replicable across urban India. Of the remaining cities, 43 are nearing completion, while 26 will require additional time. Spending, Projects and the Road… Read MoreBusiness Archives – Trak.in – Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups
