Q1. Urban is in a maze of recurring problems. In the light of this statement, critically analyze the effectiveness of the Smart Cities Mission in tackling these problems. Further mention necessary reforms to make the Smart Cities Mission a force for change. 15 marks, 250 words)
Topic- Urbanisation and associated issues:
Introduction:
Smart Cities Mission was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with Rs. 48,000 crore Central allocation over 5 years starting from 2015. It aimed to improve the quality of life through the upgradation of social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of a city by the application of smart solutions. Urban India caught in a maze of problems was the prime beneficiary of this mission. But after 8 years of its launch, it is still found wanting in many aspects.
Body :
- Urban India in a maze of recurring problems:
- Achievements of the Smart Cities Mission:
- Criticism against the Smart Cities Mission:
- Necessary reforms to make the Smart Cities Mission a force for change:
Conclusion :
Smart cities get altogether a different meaning when they are spoken in the Indian context. The poverty, floods, groundwater issues, waste management demonstrate the range of issues that cities have to deal with. These essential services must be strengthened along with scientifically prepared master plans for city expansion. SMART Cities Mission must contribute to this end by acting on its drawbacks in a mission mode to make the future cities of India not just growth engines but inclusive growth engines.
UPSC Syllabus Urbanisation and associated issues:
Why was this question asked?
Q. With a brief background of the quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’. (UPSC CSE 2016)
Introduction
Smart Cities Mission was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with Rs. 48,000 crore Central allocation over 5 years starting from 2015. It aimed to improve the quality of life through the upgradation of social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of a city by the application of smart solutions. Urban India caught in a maze of problems was the prime beneficiary of this mission. But after 8 years of its launch, it is still found wanting in many aspects.
Body Status :
Urban India in a maze of recurring problems:
- Transportation: Cities are moving vehicles instead of people. A Transit Oriented Development with last mile connectivity has been a utopia in major urban hotspots.
- Floods: 1.2 lakh people across 20 districts were displaced by the floods that hit Assam in 2023. The major hotspots of these flooding were cities like Guwahati.
- Urban Heat Island Effect: The Central Business District experiences 2OC higher temperature compared to outgrowths. This affects the Ease of Living in the major centers of growth.
- Declining ground water levels: NITI’s Composite Water Management Index released in 2018 projected that 21 major cities would run out of ground water by 2020. Save the pandemic, the prediction came true in 2023 with major cities like Bengaluru facing severe water crisis.
- Slum: As per Census 2011, 6.5 crore people i.e. 5% of India’s population lived in slums.
Achievements of the Smart Cities Mission:
- Smart infrastructure development: All 100 smart cities have Integrated Command and Control Centre which use city level data for informed policy making regarding women’s safety, traffic, solid water management, urban water supply and development of urban commons.
- Citizen safety: 76,000 CCTV surveillance cameras have been installed in 100 smart cities for crime prevention and detection for not just smart but also safe cities.
- Urban mobility: 600+ kilometers of cycling tracks and 2500+ kilometers of smart roads with universal accessibility, utility ducts and signage worth more than Rs. 40,000 crore have been completed.
- Energy Efficiency: More than 50 lakh Solar/LED street lights have been installed apart from the installation of more than 700 tonnes per day waste to energy processing capacity.
Criticism against the Smart Cities Mission:
- Exclusionary: Not more than 1% of the city’s geographical area was selected for development. This led to islands of growth to the exclusion of vulnerable sections at its periphery.
- Definition: There is no uniform definition of a smart city. Different definitions have made it difficult to gauge the level of development thus hindering objective allocations under the scheme.
- Bypassing elected authorities: The Special Purpose Vehicle created under the scheme bypasses the scrutiny of Urban Local Bodies. Institutional jungle with dispersed accountability has been an undesirable impact of the mission.
- Insufficient: McKinsey Report states that India requires $1.2 trillion by 2030 to make its cities livable. Allocation of Rs. 2 lakh crore under the Smart Cities Mission is just 0.027% of the total requirement to transform urban India.
Necessary reforms to make the Smart Cities Mission a force for change:
- A unified authority: Active engagement of citizens through the accommodation of Urban Local Body functionaries and stakeholders is crucial for the success of the mission. A unified authority with clearly defined functions can improve the programme outcomes.
- Iterations: Any further iteration of the mission must be inclusive in its conception. Instead of island of growth, it must focus on whole of the city approach for integrated development.
- Theory of reversals: Policy making should cater to the weakest sections of the society. Improving the plight of slum dwellers, urban poor having no capital and land and street vendors will promote inclusive smart cities not just smart cities.
- Tier 3 and 4 cities: Rural to urban migration must be thwarted to preserve the carrying capacity of metropolitan cities. Rs 10,000 crore allocated for the development of Tier 2 and 3 cities under the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund is a welcome step in this direction.
Conclusion
Smart cities get altogether a different meaning when they are spoken in the Indian context. The poverty, floods, groundwater issues, waste management demonstrate the range of issues that cities have to deal with. These essential services must be strengthened along with scientifically prepared master plans for city expansion. SMART Cities Mission must contribute to this end by acting on its drawbacks in a mission mode to make the future cities of India not just growth engines but inclusive growth engines.
Q2. India entered into a 10-year contract with for the operationalization of Chabahar. Explain its implications for India. What is the significance of Iran in India’s socio-economic and strategic calculus? Elucidate the major bottlenecks in Indo-Iranian relationship while suggesting measures to take the relationship to its full potential.15 marks (250 words)
Topic- India-Iran Bilateral Relations:
Introduction
India and Iran have civilizational ties, with medieval Persian travelers extensively describing India, its people, its culture and society. This relationship got a fillip as India signed a long-term contract with Iran to operationalize Chabahar port. The relationship with Iran went through twists and turns despite great strategic convergence between India and Iran on a range of issues.
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- Implications for India
- Significance of Iran in India’s Social, Economic and Strategic Calculus
- Major bottlenecks in Indo-Iranian relationship
- Measures to realize the full potential of the relationship
Conclusion
India-Iran relations have stood the test of time. Increasing strategic convergence demands a strategic partnership for mutual benefit in the long term. Political will is necessary on both sides as this involves taking geopolitical risks and may irk major powers like the US which considers Iran as one among the axis of evil. Innovative arrangements stretching from trade to cultural dimensions can further garner good will on both sides which may eventually strengthen the bilateral ties in the long term.
UPSC Syllabus India-Iran Bilateral Relations:
Why was this question asked?
Q. How have the US sanctions against Iran affected India’s bilateral relations with Iran? (UPSC CSE 2012)
Introduction:
India and Iran have civilizational ties, with medieval Persian travelers extensively describing India, its people, its culture and society. This relationship got a fillip as India signed a long-term contract with Iran to operationalize Chabahar port. The relationship with Iran went through twists and turns despite great strategic convergence between India and Iran on a range of issues.
Body
Implications for India:
- Energy Security: India relies on imports for more than 80% of its crude oil consumption. With instability in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, Chabahar becomes a viaduct for safe import of crude oil apart from ramping up the imports of crude oil from Iran.
- Stability in Afghanistan: India has gained a lot of good will by investing $3 billion in developmental projects in Afghanistan. Sustaining the good will demands maintenance of those projects. Chabahar helps India bypass Pakistan while accessing Afghanistan.
- Counter to Belt and Road Initiative: Chinese inroads into Central Asia can be countered by utilizing Chabahar port, as it will improve India’s trade, people-people and energy relationship with the Central Asian countries.
- De-hyphenation of relations: Implementation of the pact marks a shift in India-US relationship as India wants to de-hyphenate its Indo-Iran relationship from the USA. This demonstrates greater strategic autonomy India is vouching for as an emerging pole of the world.
Significance of Iran in India’s-
- Social Calculus:
- 10-15% of India’s Muslim population is made up of Shia’s. Holy shrines of Shia Imam’s are housed in Iran. Cultural connect between India and Iran can improve India’s soft power through improved people-people relations.
- A considerable number (approx. 8000) of Iranian students pursue higher education in India’s premier institutes under 67 scholarship schemes operated for foreign students. Apart from remittances, it can export India culture, cuisine and arts in Iran.
- India has gifted 1 million doses of COVAXIN under the Vaccine Maitri programme to Iran. This has enhanced India’s partnership with Iran in public health dimension for mutual long term benefit.
- Economic Calculus:
- India enjoys a $1 billion trade surplus with Iran with the trade figures touching $2.33 billion in 2022-23, up by 21.76% from 2021-22.
- Iran was one of the top 10 oil sources for India making upto 16% of India’s oil imports prior to US Sanctions. Affordable crude oil from diverse sources is what India aspires for. Iran can satisfy India’s energy security needs from this aspect.
- Iran is hungry for investments after years of sanctions and internal instability. India will get an another option to diversify its investments in a growing country like Iran which also became the latest member of BRICS.
- Strategic Calculus:
- Chabahar port is 73 km west of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. Alleged encirclement of India by China through the Belt and Road Initiative can be countered by a port operationalized by India. Thus, Iran’s active support is vital for India’s strategic depth.
- Antipiracy operations in the Northern Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf cannot be ensured efficiently and effectively without Iranian cooperation. Towards this end, India joined a 2-day naval exercise called ‘Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt’ in 2021.
Major bottlenecks in Indo-Iranian relationship:
- Indo-Israel relationship: India’s increasingly closer relationship with Israel has come to haunt India-Iran relationship though India has de-hyphenated from Iran, its relationship with Israel.
- US Sanctions: US sanctions dragged the completion of Chabahar road project. With active US discouragement of India’s deepening cooperation with Iran, crucial; projects came to a grinding halt.
- Stymied in comparison to China: China’s trade with Iran was at $9.44 billion in 2022. This was nearly 4 times the India’s trade figure with Iran.
- India-Gulf relationship: India has close strategic partnerships with countries like Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Yemen dispute which has Iran and Gulf countries as rivals poses a challenge for India’s balancing game in the Middle East.
- Kashmir issue: Iran has not unconditionally supported India’s claims on Kashmir in Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This is also a simmering issue between India and Iran.
Measures to realize the full potential of the relationship:
- Enlightened self-interest: India should de-hyphenate its relations with Iran from relations with other nations. It must pursue the principle of enlightened self-interest in this regard.
- VISA reforms: VISA on arrival and religious tourism circuit can include major religious places in Iran and India to improve tourism and people-people relations.
- Rupee-Rial arrangement: A VOSTRO account can be opened to avert US sanctions against bilateral trade. Mechanisms adopted with Russia can be emulated here also.
- Timely completion: Time bound completion of project must be etched into the terms of reference in MoU’s between Iran and India. Projects like International North South Transport and Transit Corridor must pursue strict timelines for their completion.
- Anti-terror cooperation: ISIS-Khorasan has been raising its head in the region. Active intelligence cooperation with Iran in this regard can further mutually benefit in anti-terror and anti-radicalization activities.
Conclusion
India-Iran relations have stood the test of time. Increasing strategic convergence demands a strategic partnership for mutual benefit in the long term. Political will is necessary on both sides as this involves taking geopolitical risks and may irk major powers like the US which considers Iran as one among the axis of evil. Innovative arrangements stretching from trade to cultural dimensions can further garner good will on both sides which may eventually strengthen the bilateral ties in the long term.