India Gets Ready to Develop 100 Smart Cities
India’s Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu today asserted that implementation of Smart City Mission is certainly changing the way the city governments are addressing issues of urban planning and execution.
He spoke on various aspects of development of smart cities in the country at the knowledge sharing workshop on ‘Smart Cities and Informed Urbanisation’ in Delhi today. It was organized by NITI Aayog and University of New South Wales, Australia.
Stating that Smart City Mission aims at improving livability in cities, Naidu said the broad objectives of the mission are: sustainable urban planning and development, management of urban affairs with citizens’ participation, area-based development, resilience to climate change, natural disasters, and technology-based solutions for better governance and infrastructure management.
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The minister further said that all new urban sector missions launched over the last two years aim at inclusive urban development benefitting all sections.
The vice-chairman of NITI Ayog Dr. Arvind Panagariya said the government has selected 100 cities for smart city development based on competition. Basic features of a smart city include slum free city environment, proper delivery of city services including clean water and assured power, affordable housing and meeting the needs of children, women and the aged. He stressed on the need for optimal use of scarce urban land through vertical development.
