Indore, Surat bag Smart Cities award, UP best-performing state

In a tweet, the ministry said, “The winners stand as exemplary Lighthouse projects for other cities across India & for other ULBs to learn and implement ways and policies to provide Ease of Living to citizens.”

New Delhi: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Friday (June 24) awarded states, cities and union territories based on their performances under the Smart Cities mission’s India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020. Uttar Pradesh was ranked as the best performing states in the country with respect to the Smart City mission. UP was followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in terms of best performing states. Meanwhile, Indore and Surat jointly shared the Smart Cities award for best performance by the Ministry.  

Chandigarh topped the rankings among union territories in India. The Ministry announced the awards to commemorate 6 years of the launch of three central government schemes aimed at improving the lives of citizens in cities smarter, safer and easier. 

These three schemes - Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) - were launched on May 25, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

In a tweet, the ministry said, “Congratulations to all the winners of the ISAC Awards 2020 awarded by the @SmartCities_HUA mission. The winners stand as exemplary Lighthouse projects for other cities across India & for other ULBs to learn and implement ways and policies to provide Ease of Living to citizens.” Also Read: Mahindra XUV700 to launch with high-beam assist, production may begin next month

Congratulations to all the winners of the ISAC Awards 2020 awarded by the @SmartCities_HUA mission.

The winners stand as exemplary Lighthouse projects for other cities across India & for other ULBs to learn and implement ways and policies to provide Ease of Living to citizens. pic.twitter.com/nA10svJM6h

— Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (@MoHUA_India) June 25, 2021

The ministry handed out awards across themes after taking several factors into account. Some of these factors are governance, culture, urban environment, sanitation, economy, etc. Special themes related to how cities controlled the COVID-19 pandemic were also launched in this year’s award show. Also Read: Pakistan continues to remain in 'Grey List' of FATF, says FATF president Marcus Pleyer