MoS for Education, Communications, Electronics and IT, said that materials are the backbone of the manufacturing sector in the country and that India’s electronics manufacturing has grown from Rs 1.90 lakh crore (€ 22.3 billion) International Energy Agency akh crore to Rs 5.33 lakh crore (€62.7 billion) in recent years. From contributing approximately 1.3% in 2012, the share of mobile phone manufacturing has increased to 3.6 per cent during 2019 - 2020. This growth has opened employability for thousands,".

The National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) has been launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) along with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). The event was attended by Secretary, MoHUA & Secretary, MeitY and other officers of the Central and State Governments were also present at the launch.  Several other digital initiatives of MoHUA vis. India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), SmartCode, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) were also launched.  These initiatives are among the ongoing efforts of both Ministries to realize the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India and AtmaNirbhar Bharat, by making cities more self-reliant and enabled to meet the needs of and provide services to their citizens.

 

• India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX): IUDX has been developed in partnership between the Smart Cities Mission and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. IUDX serves as a seamless interface for data providers and data users, including ULBs, to share, request, and access datasets related to cities, urban governance, and urban service delivery. IUDX is an open-source software platform which facilitates the secure, authenticated, and managed exchange of data amongst various data platforms, 3rd party authenticated and authorised applications, and other sources. 

• SmartCode Platform:  SmartCode is a platform that enables all ecosystem stakeholders to contribute to a repository of open-source code for various solutions and applications for urban governance. It is designed to address the challenges that ULBs face in the development and deployment of digital applications to address urban challenges, by enabling cities to take advantage of existing codes and customising them to suit local needs, rather than having to develop new solutions from scratch. 

• New Smart Cities Website ver. 2.0 and GMIS: In order to better connect with people on the Smart Cities Missions efforts and achievements, and to make it easier for ULBs and citizens to access resources related to their work, the Smart Cities Mission website has been redesigned to serve as a single stop for all Smart Cities initiatives. The Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) is integrated with this website.  

 

In each of the 100 Smart Cities across the country, the appointed City Data Officer (CDO) is currently undergoing a six-week training by the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission and Tata Trusts to reimagine how data and information can solve local issues. In the “Enabling Data Driven Decision Making in Urban Local Bodies” course, their chosen case studies showcase their city’s new technological objectives. “The Ministry has developed a structured course specifically designed for training in data. Everyone has to deal with data. The kind of energy the City Data Officers are showing — the program has flourished.

Stating that the smart cities concept does not have a single dimension of focusing on just big or small cities, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has said that the target is to develop more than 4,372 cities as smart cities. “Our target is to develop our 4,372 cities, along with other cities, as smart cities. To make this happen, cities should use their land, resources, local people, and skills to move on different path,” he said at the virtual 4th Smart Cities Summit & 2nd Smart Urban Innovation Awards, organized by FICCI in the Capital. He said that the learning of one city chosen under 100 smart cities should be spread to other cities so that it becomes a light house.