Also, 500 cities will soon be rejuvenated The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most favoured projects — 100 smart cities spread across the country — and a new urban renewal mission named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, replacing the existing one named after Jawaharlal Nehru, with a total outlay of nearly Rs. 1,00,000 crore. The meeting, chaired by Mr. Modi, approved the Smart Cities Mission for development of 100 smart cities and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of 500 cities, which replaces the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, with outlays of Rs. 48,000 crore and Rs. 50,000 crore, respectively, said highly placed sources in the Urban Development Ministry. The smart cities mission is aimed at “recasting the urban landscape of the country by making cities more liveable and inclusive, besides driving economic growth,” Ministry sources said. Each selected city under the ambitious scheme would get Central assistance of Rs. 100 crore a year for five years. The mission aims to release funding depending on multi-pronged progress of the projects and makes citizen participation an integral part of the planning of these cities.