The Aryavarth Express
Puducherry: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai visited Puducherry on Saturday and inaugurated several civic infrastructure and urban development projects under the Smart Cities Mission.
As part of the city’s development initiatives, the Union Minister inaugurated the Mini Stadium at Anna Thidal, a key project implemented under the Smart City Mission. He was accompanied by the Puducherry Chief Minister and other senior leaders. The inauguration ceremony included a ribbon-cutting and a traditional pooja to mark the formal opening of the facility.
The Mini Stadium at Anna Thidal has been completed and is expected to enhance sports and recreational infrastructure in the city. During the event, the Union Minister also interacted with school students and joined them in kicking a football, highlighting the focus on youth and community engagement.
The Smart Cities Mission was launched on June 25, 2015, with the objective of providing core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and an improved quality of life for urban residents. The mission aims to create citizen-centric and future-ready urban spaces that can serve as models for other cities across the country.
Since its inception, the mission has introduced several innovative approaches, including a competitive selection process for cities, stakeholder-driven project planning, the formation of Special Purpose Vehicles for implementation, the use of digital technologies to improve urban governance, and third-party evaluations by leading academic and professional institutions.
With 100 cities participating nationwide, the mission has made significant progress. As of May 9, 2025, 7,555 projects—around 94 per cent of the total 8,067—have been completed, involving an investment of ₹1,51,361 crore. Another 512 projects worth ₹13,043 crore are currently in advanced stages of implementation, taking the total project value to approximately ₹1.64 lakh crore.
The total Union budget allocation for the Smart Cities Mission stands at ₹47,652 crore. By March 31, 2025, about 99.44 per cent of the allocated funds had been released to the participating cities. This central funding is supplemented by contributions from state governments, urban local bodies, and public-private partnerships.
In addition to core infrastructure projects, the mission has launched initiatives to address emerging urban challenges. Post-COVID-19 programmes such as ‘Cycles4Change’ and ‘Streets4People’ promote open spaces and active lifestyles. Inclusive initiatives like ‘Placemaking Marathons’ and the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ focus on vulnerable groups, while challenges such as ‘Transport4All’ and ‘EatSmart Cities’ aim to improve public transport and food hygiene standards.
Overall, the Smart Cities Mission seeks to drive economic growth and enhance urban living by combining local area development with technology-driven, city-wide solutions through retrofitting, redevelopment, greenfield projects, and pan-city initiatives.
