The Smart Cities Mission is a flagship urban development initiative launched by the Government of India on 25 June 2015 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The mission aims to promote sustainable, inclusive, and citizen-friendly urban development by integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the planning, management, and delivery of public services. It seeks to improve the quality of life of urban residents by making cities more efficient, resilient, and environmentally sustainable. The mission recognizes that rapid urbanization presents challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, traffic congestion, pollution, and poor service delivery, and therefore emphasizes the use of technology and innovation to address these issues. The primary objective of the Smart Cities Mission is to provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life to citizens. The mission focuses on ensuring adequate water supply, uninterrupted electricity, efficient sanitation and waste management, affordable housing, robust public transport, reliable healthcare, quality education, safety and security, especially for women and children, and effective urban governance. ICT plays a central role in achieving these objectives by enabling data-driven decision-making, digital service delivery, and real-time monitoring of city operations. One of the key features of the mission is area-based development.