PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over Bihar being left out from the list of the 20 smart cities shortlisted by the Centre.
“Striking regional imbalances in Modiji's smart city list. Such deliberate neglect of states like Bihar, UP & WB on part of GOI is disappointing,” wrote Kumar in a tweet. The 20 cities shortlisted would be the first to receive funds, thus kick-starting the process of developing them into 'smart cities' under the 'Smart Cities Mission'.
A 'smart city' is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres.