100-day sister cities challenge

Syllabus subtopic: Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population by the Centre and States and the Performance of these Schemes

Prelims and Mains focus: about the key features of the event; about smart city mission and its objectives

News: Organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the 100-day sister cities challenge will commence on 20^th February.

What is it?

The challenge pairs the 20 best performing Smart Cities with the 20 bottom ones in implementing projects under the Smart City mission.

The program of pairing the best performing smart cities to poorly performing smart cities as 'sister cities' is being called 20-20 formula. Sister Cities will sign a memorandum agreement on February 20 under this program.

About the event

The cities have been paired based on a certain criteria; for instance, coastal towns, state capitals, industrial hubs, hilly terrain or educational destinations are paired up with each other.

PM Modi’s Varanasi constituency, currently ranked 14th, will be paired up with Amritsar as both attract religious tourists.

The sister cities will have a joint meeting once every 30 days (via video conferencing), and at least once in the 100-day period “the teams of sister cities would visit the city and understand the Smart Cities projects under implementation and completion.” Technical drawings and financial studies including DPRs, feasibility reports and impact assessment reports will be shared amongst the two cities.

The internal rankings of the cities is drawn up every Friday in the Ministry based on performance (80 per cent) and utilisation of funds (20 per cent).”

About Smart City Mission

The Smart City Mission focuses on the most relevant and greater opportunities to improve lives in India. The objective of this project is to provide a clean and sustainable environment for smart solutions.

The project includes core infrastructure elements like proper sanitation, adequate water supply, robust IT connectivity, sustainable environment, safety and security of citizens, education, and health, etc.

The government of India has been distributed to 100 smart cities among the total number of states and UTs.

Source: The Hindu

Join Our Telegram

US Resumes Nuclear Weapon Testing

Formation Day

03 Dec, 25
SHARE

On 1st November, eight Indian states—Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu—along with five Union Territories—Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry—celebrate their Formation Day. This date marks an important milestone in India

Turtle (Kachhua) Wildlife Sanctuary

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Kachhua Sanctuary, is located in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. It is recognised as India’s first freshwater turtle wildlife sanctuary, established to conserve endangered turtle species and support the ecological health of the Ganga River. Location and Extent The sanctuary co

Introduction of AI and Computational Thinking (CT) in

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The Ministry of Education plans to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) from Class 3 onwards in the 2026–27 academic year. This initiative is part of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 and aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The aim is to prepare student

Sal Tree

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

Scientists from the Environment Department of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) in Shimla have recently revealed that the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) is the most effective natural air purifier for combating rising pollution levels. Their findings highlight the tree’s superior capacity to trap dust, absorb gases, and cleanse the air compared

US Resumes Nuclear Weapon Testing

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The President of the United States has ordered the resumption of nuclear weapon testing after a gap of 33 years, the last test being in 1992. This decision marks a significant shift in global nuclear policy and has far-reaching implications for geopolitics, the environment, and international security. Status of Global Nuclear Weapon Testing