From June, cities in India will be ranked based on how liveable they are. A liveability Index will be launched and 240 cities, including 100 Smart Cities and 53 other cities with a population of one million and above, will be assessed on 15 core parameters like governance, social infrastructure, education, health and safety and security.
Union Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gauba announced this on Tuesday while addressing a World Bank-organised knowledge sharing workshop on improving accountability for local Governments.
The Ministry has invited bids for selecting the agency for carrying out the assessment based on the parameters evolved by it.
The 'livability Index' will also take into account physical infrastructure like housing, open spaces, land use, energy and water availability, solid waste management and pollution, among others.
The idea behind ranking the cities is to facilitate a competitive environment amongst the cities. The Index will help in systematic improvement in the quality of life of the citizens.
"The index aims to promote a healthy competition among cities and towns in the country to focus their attention on improving governance and infrastructure availability," said Gauba adding that Urban Development Ministry has already invited bids for selecting an agency for carrying out the assessment based on the parameters evolved by the Government.
Government officials and experts from India, Indonesia, Sri lanka and Bangladesh are participating in the
workshop.