Smart Cities Mission 2.0 Launched with Focus on Sustainability
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched Smart Cities Mission 2.0, focusing on climate-resilient urban infrastructure and digital governance.
2-Minute Summary (TL;DR)
- Smart Cities Mission 2.0 focuses on sustainability and climate resilience.
- Aims to include 100 new cities, with a focus on hilly and North-East regions.
- Promotes the concept of 'Sponge Cities' to tackle urban flooding.
- Integrates digital governance with emergency response systems.
How This Topic is Tested in Competitive Exams
| Exam | Frequency | Approx. Marks | What Gets Asked |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC (CGL / CHSL / MTS) | Medium | 2–4 | Miscellaneous GK including appointments, books, summits, and records appears in SSC. |
| UPSC / State PCS | Low | 2–5 | UPSC focuses on depth, not breadth. General items are tested only when they have policy relevance. |
| State PCS / PSC | Medium | 3–5 | Miscellaneous GK is tested across all state exam categories. |
| Banking (IBPS / SBI) | Medium | 2–4 | Banking awareness and general GK are separate sections — both draw from current affairs. |
What to Memorize from This Topic
- Appointments: new heads of organizations, ministries, and international bodies
- Books and authors in the news — especially by current heads of state or notable personalities
- First-ever achievements: India's firsts, world firsts, records broken
- Summits and their dates, venue, and key declarations
- Obituaries: notable personalities, their field, and contribution
Practice Questions
Q1. What is a 'Sponge City', a concept promoted in Smart Cities Mission 2.0?
- A city with many parks
- A city designed to absorb and manage rainwater
- A city made of recycled materials
- A city with 100% digital literacy
Explanation: A Sponge City is an urban construction model that prioritizes nature-based solutions to absorb, store, and purify rainwater to prevent flooding.
Q2. Which ministry is responsible for the Smart Cities Mission in India?
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Ministry of Science and Technology
- Ministry of Rural Development
Explanation: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) implements the Smart Cities Mission.
How to Prepare Current Affairs for Government Exams
For general current affairs, read the PIB (Press Information Bureau) daily digest. It covers government announcements that directly map to exam questions.
Maintain a 'Monthly Top 50' list — the 50 most important facts from the month. Revise this before every mock test.
Focus on news from the last 6–8 months before your exam date. Older news rarely appears unless it was a landmark event.
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