Every state will get smart city: Urban Minister
Updated: May 08, 2015 11:52:23am
New Delhi, May 8 (KNN) Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday assured the Rajya Sabha that every state in the country will get to develop at least one city as smart city under the central government’s initiative of developing 100 smart cities.
Smart cities will enable decent quality of life, clean environment and promote smart solutions and citizen centric approach.
Replying to a question raised KVP Ramachandra Rao in the Upper House, Naidu said that the Union Cabinet accorded approval for the Smart Cities Mission recently and guidelines for its implementation including the criteria for selection of cities are being finalised.
He clarified that the process of selection of cities for developing them as smart cities will be initiated after the guidelines are issued to the states.
The minister informed the House that smart city aspirants will be selected based on a ‘City Challenge Competition’. He said that cities will be graded based on their revenues, expenditure, availability of infrastructure relating to transport, drinking water and solid waste management.
He further said that the Smart Cities Mission involves ‘an area based approach’ and it is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the smart city.
Elaborating on the benefits of India-US Cooperation in making Visakhapatnam, Allahabad and Ajmer as Smart Cities, Naidu said that that the US will extend technical support for preparing master plans for these three cities besides assisting in capacity building and undertaking feasibility studies. He clarified that there will be no financial support from the US.
The United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) has signed MoU with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in this regard. (KNN/ST)
Smart cities will enable decent quality of life, clean environment and promote smart solutions and citizen centric approach.
Replying to a question raised KVP Ramachandra Rao in the Upper House, Naidu said that the Union Cabinet accorded approval for the Smart Cities Mission recently and guidelines for its implementation including the criteria for selection of cities are being finalised.
He clarified that the process of selection of cities for developing them as smart cities will be initiated after the guidelines are issued to the states.
The minister informed the House that smart city aspirants will be selected based on a ‘City Challenge Competition’. He said that cities will be graded based on their revenues, expenditure, availability of infrastructure relating to transport, drinking water and solid waste management.
He further said that the Smart Cities Mission involves ‘an area based approach’ and it is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the smart city.
Elaborating on the benefits of India-US Cooperation in making Visakhapatnam, Allahabad and Ajmer as Smart Cities, Naidu said that that the US will extend technical support for preparing master plans for these three cities besides assisting in capacity building and undertaking feasibility studies. He clarified that there will be no financial support from the US.
The United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) has signed MoU with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in this regard. (KNN/ST)
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