When the Indian government announced the Smart City Mission 10 years ago, it mandated the 100 cities selected for the urban renewal programme to establish separate legal entities known as Special Purpose Vehicles to plan, execute and monitor projects.

These Special Purpose Vehicles have been created to raise private funding, which provides flexibility in project choices due to less funding constraints and faster decision-making process since projects are decided by a board and do not need the approval of the municipal council. They also allow recruitment from outside the government services and aim to coordinate with local and state departments.

As a result, Special Purpose Vehicles are central to the Smart City Mission, which states that its aim is “to promote cities that provide core i

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