India's Smart Cities Mission

India’s ambitious ‘Smart Cities Mission’ aims to drive urban development and stimulate growth in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

The Mission is a flagship policy for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It offers funding to cities across India to apply ‘smart’ solutions that involve the often-innovative use of technology, information and data.

Smart city projects worth over a trillion rupees have now been tendered out across the country, with the initiative attracting global investment on a large scale.

But the Mission has come in for criticism – from concerns about social exclusion, to fears that India’s regulatory environment can’t support the project.

This podcast assesses some of the technology, security and human rights issues arising from a transformative policy that will cover over 99 million people.