There is considerable interest in India on the design, science and technology of Smart Cities. In early 2015, the Urban Development Ministry set up a task force for drawing up an action plan for developing 100 Smart Cities in India. The reason for the push towards Smart Cities is easy to see: the rapid growth in the Indian economy is expected to increase the rate of urbanization. Official projections suggest that by 2013, about 600 million Indians will reside in urban areas; an increase of over 200 million in just 20 years. This is not necessarily an alarming forecast. Urbanization is viewed as being essential to realize India's growth potential. The most recent assessment of the urban share of GDP has gone up from 37.7% in 1970-71 to 62-63% in 2009-10. But, inevitably, with this growth water, food and energy in urban areas will come under pressure. The growth will impact transport and mobility. The safety of urban populations will become uncertain. Waste management and associated public health issues, culture and social conditions will come in for acute scrutiny. The pressure is expected to continue to increase. A recent United Nations report called 'World Urbanization Prospects' suggests that by 2050 India will add 404 million urban dwellers.
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