New Delhi, April 24 -- States that have effectively used funds under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) have witnessed a sharper drop in crime rates, according to a new report by the State Bank of India (SBI).

The report revealed that states with a fund utilization rate above 80 per cent under the Smart Cities Mission recorded greater improvements in public safety compared to those with lower fund usage.

It said "States with greater utilization rate of SCM funds (>80 per cent) witnessed a larger reduction in crime rates compared to states with lower utilization, given the SCM utilization as of 2021".

The study aimed to measure the impact of high fund utilization on crime reduction using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) framework.

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