MoHUA to Develop More Than 4,372 Smart Cities
Stating that the smart cities concept does not have a single dimension of focusing on just big or small cities, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has said that the target is to develop more than 4,372 cities as smart cities. “Our target is to develop our 4,372 cities, along with other cities, as smart cities. To make this happen, cities should use their land, resources, local people, and skills to move on different path. We need to focus on ensuring that these light houses help other cities become smart and that the government is working to standardize these learnings.” He said that the smart cities concept does not have a single dimension of focusing on just big or small cities; any city can become a smart city. “Every city will have their own path of smartness. Employability, sustainability and liveability are the core things on which the cities move. Smart cities have played a very important role in dealing with the COVID-induced crisis. Many of the smart cities effectively used their Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC) for city’s operations management as COVID-19 War Rooms for analysing city-specific data, coordinating activities of various state, city agencies and connecting with citizens. “There were 49 working Integrated Command and Control Centres, which has now increased to 53 and 30 more will be added in the forthcoming months. It is not only the technology but how technology is impacting the livelihood of citizens which is important,” said Mishra.
Tags : News/Views Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs COVID-19 Durga Shanker Mishra small cities