India joins hands with New York for smart city projects

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, will join hands with Bloomberg Philanthropies to advance “Smart Cities Initiative.”
An agreement in this regard was signed between Prime Minister’s office and former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

“The Smart Cities Initiative is a historic effort to promote economic growth, improve governance, and deliver more effective and efficient public services to India’s urban residents,” Modi said.

Under the partnership, Bloomberg Philanthropies will provide assistance to the Ministry of Urban Development to select cities for Smart Cities Mission funding on a continuous basis.

The new approach eliminates the lengthy process involving detailed project reports and their approval by the Central government. The project involves real citizen engagements, so people get involved both in design and execution of city development plans.

Smart Cities initiatives, according to Modi, are highly challenging; however, the government has to undertake it to improve the quality of life for India’s urban citizens with stakeholder’s participation.

Rajani Baburajan

[email protected]