CJ’s “MyGov: :Smart cities”

Through Citizens Engagement GOI under PM Modi has a vision of developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernizing the existing mid-sized cities. Smart cities will have basic infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance mechanisms. Q1. What is the Societal Problem being addressed & what is the objectives of your Citizen Engagement? Problem: Overcrowding in Urban centres, migration of rural population to Cities. Opportunity: If smart cities are created across India, there will be decongestion and all round development to improve quality of Citizens’ life. The Objectives:

• Holistic Development Involving CitizensHarnessing Technology

• Economic Growth

• Quality Life for Citizens

Q 2. Who are the Key players? Government – central, state and local, mayors, officials and elected representatives, NGOs and infrastructure developers. i) Who is spearheading this initiative and why are they best placed to do it?

Spearheaded by Government. ii) Who is the Target Audience and How are participants recruited? Target audience – By Citizens, Of Citizens, For Citizens. Participants will be recruited through:

1. “MyGov Volunteer Platform” which matches the government requirements to volunteer skills and time availability.

2. The “MyGov Events Platform” to be used by government organizations to involve and engage citizens

3. An interactive voice response system (IVRS) for participation in MyGov activities (for those not having internet connectivity).

4. “The MyGov Swachh Bharat” (Clean India) webpage providing details on how the activities can be made even more participative and citizen focused.

5. MyGov will soon announce the winners of the “PMO App Contest”, a first of its kind activity built through Crowd Sourcing.

6. Monthly “In-Person MyGov Interaction”, with a Union Minister where experts on social media will be invited to present their ideas and suggestions.

7. An “Idea Factory”, where field officers in rural India ensure last mile delivery.

8. Municipal governments supplement MyGov activities with other public interactions in their respective cities.

(https://blog.mygov.in/editorial/citizens-consultation-for-the-smart-cities-mission/) Q.3. How does it work? What tools/Technology/Non-technology will be used to reach the Objectives? Tools used:

• Various initiatives on the “MyGov” National portal.

• Range of citizen consultations – discussion forums, competitions, online polls,

public talks and blogs.

• Conduct “The India Smart Cities Challenge” designed to inspire and support

municipal officials.

Q 4.What are the Risks & Opportunities? What New strategies could be used to maximize the Potential of the Initiative? Risks:

• Breakdown between various agencies

• Poor conflict resolution leading to poor outcomes

Opportunities:

• Enhanced efficiency and productivity

• Successful initiative will deem it replicable across the country with effective

cross pollination.

• Foster Healthy Governance.

Q 5. How will you know if the initiative has been successful? What are the metrics/ Indicators to measure? How will they be measured? Adherence to technical specification (which includes 14 categories of basic community needs) based on global benchmarking. Q 6. Who should use the standard? All stakeholders and key players should use the standard.