Meet the Smart Cities: Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur top the list

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posted on 8 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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These cities will be given Central funds to develop infrastructure

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday announced the first list of 20 cities to be developed as 'smart cities', with Bhubaneswar topping the list and Pune and Jaipur coming in second and third.

These cities will be given funds to develop basic infrastructure like assured water and power supply, waste management, public transport and e-governance.

Meet the first six.

Bhubaneswar: Capital of Odisha, with a population over 11 lakh. It's a temple city with a history of at least 3000 years, and now a fast-growing IT and education hub. The present city was designed by the German architect Otto Konigsberger in 1946 and was among the first planned cities in the modern era. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often referred to as the 'twin cities of Odisha'.

Pune: Second largest city in the state of Maharashtra . Situated on the banks of the Mutha River,it was the centre of power of the Maratha Empire.From 1990s, Pune started attracting foreign investment in IT. The city also became known for floriculture, food processing and its wineries. In 2008, Pune hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Jaipur: Capital of Rajasthan named after its founder Maharaja Jai Singh. It is a highly popular destination, and forms India's golden triangle along with Delhi and Agra. It was built in 1727 Jaipur based on the principles of vastu shastra and shilpa Shastra. Jaipur's economy is fuelled by tourism, gemstone cutting, textiles and IT.

Surat: Second largest city in Gujarat, well-known for its diamond cutting industry. It is also a textile hub known for its silk industry and cotton mills. Other sectors in the city are petroleum, oil & Gas, shipping, cement, metallurgy, paper, chemical and fertilizer. Surat also houses branches of multinational and domestic IT majors.

Kochi: The commercial capital of Kerala. For centuries it was the centre of spice trade in India, and became the first of the European colonies in 1503. Kochi is the home to Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. It has a bustling port and commercial centres. Kochi is recognized as one of the seventeen major industrial cities of India by World Bank, Doing Business Group.

Ahmedabad: Largest city and former capital of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is an important economic and industrial hub, and is the second largest producer of cotton in India. The stock exchange is the country's second oldest. It is also important for its automobile industry. After Tata's Nano project, Ford and Suzuki are planning to establish plants near Ahmedabad.

Here's the full list.

1. Bhubaneswar, Odisha

2. Pune, Maharashtra

3. Jaipur, Rajasthan

4. Surat, Gujarat

5. Kochi, Kerala

6. Ahmedabad, Gujarat

7. Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

8. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

9. Solapur, Maharashtra

10. Davangere, Karnataka

11. Indore, Madhya Pradesh