Bhubaneswar and Rourkela included in the List of 98 Smart Cities

As the Centre announced the list of 98 cities under Smart City Mission, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela got the final nod from Odisha. Although Odisha Government had recommended Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Brahmapur, the Union Urban Development Ministry selected Bhubaneswar and Rourkela based on the points given by the state panel.

As per the list released today, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 13 Smart Cities, but 12 have been allocated the state so far. Tamil Nadu will also have 12 Smart Cities. Other states, which will have more than one Smart City, are – Maharashta – 10, Madhya Pradesh – 7, Gujarat – 6, Karnataka – 6, Rajasthan – 4, West Bengal – 4, Punjab – 3, Bihar – 3, Andhra Pradesh – 3, Odisha – 2, Telangana – 2, Haryana – 2, Chhattisgarh – 2.

The Central Government has proposed to give financial support to Mission to the extent of Rs. 48,000 crores over 5 years. Each smart city will get Rs 200 crore for the first year and Rs 100 crore every year for another four years.