How does smart city in India, address the issues of urban... | UPSC 2025 GS1 Q8

QUESTION 8

GS1

10 marks

How does smart city in India, address the issues of urban poverty and distributive justice?

WRITE IN

7 min

150 words

What the examiner wants

Examine how far India's Smart Cities Mission tackles urban poverty and shares benefits fairly across city residents.

ExamineGo into the details, test each point against evidence, and conclude on what it shows.

1What the mission does: area-based development, pan-city ICT solutions, Integrated Command and Control Centres≈35 words
2Gains for the poor: better services, digital access, some housing and street-vendor projects, convergence with PMAY-U and DAY-NULM≈35 words
3Distributive concerns: small area focus (often richer areas), evictions, SPVs bypassing elected councils, little focus on informal workers≈35 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Mission designBenefits that reach the poorDistributive justice concernsHow to make it pro-poorBalanced conclusion

Describing the mission without judging its effect on the poor
Not mentioning the area-based development model, which is the core of the critique

FactArea-based development under the Smart Cities Mission covers only a small part of each city's area, drawing criticism about who benefits.Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Standing Committee on Urban Development reports
ConceptDistributive justice (John Rawls): inequalities are acceptable only if they benefit the least advantaged.John Rawls, A Theory of Justice

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