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Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi envisions
developing 100 "smart cities" across the
country.
It is an ambitious dream. These cities will require
not only
physical infrastructure such as housing,
high-rises and roads, but also
cutting-edge
technology, including eco-friendly transportation,
real-time
monitoring and clean energy sources.
Modi's government launched its smart cities
program in June 2015 and on
June 20 this year,
Shillong in northeastern India was selected as the
100th and final city to be included in the initiative.
The total proposed
investment in this ambitious
program is now 2.05 trillion rupees ($29.9
billion).
In this issue of the Nikkei Asian Review, we take
a look at the progress
that has been made in
achieving Modi's vision -- and how much
remains to
be done. Critics say the program is not
moving fast enough and has
already been .
scaled back, while
experts warn of funding hurdles and
trouble
with land acquisition. To explore these and
other issues, our
reporter and photographer
spoke with officials, developers and residents
in Amaravati, an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage
site in Andhra Pradesh
State, where work is
underway to transform fertile farmland into an ultramodern
city.
We hope you enjoy reading the Nikkei Asian Review.
Sincerely yours,
Sonoko Watanabe
Editor-in-chief
Nikkei Asian Review
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