Two-day conclave to finalise Smart City launch

NEW DELHI: To take states and other stakeholders on board for the ambitious initiative to build smart cities, Urban Development Ministry is holding a two-day conclave that will delve into issues like innovative policy and financing tools needed for the programme.

The two-day 'Consultation Workshop with state governments and stakeholders on smart Cities' will begin here tomorrow and take up 10 critical issues with the states for a clear understanding on them, challenges and the road ahead, a senior Urban Development Ministry official said.

The issues include competition based selection of cities for inclusion under smart cities programme; support and hand-holding the cities need to participate in the Smart City challenge; policy issues in respect of area based strategy for development through retrofitting, redevelopment and green field smart city development.

The stakeholders will discuss the crucial issue of integrating Smart City Mission with National Urban Development Mission for 500 cities and city sanitation and action taken under Swachh Bharat Mission.

The workshop will deliberate ways and means to find out innovative financial tools for funding smart city development and making urban local bodies self-reliant.

Credit rating of cities and kick-starting issue of municipal bonds, promoting citizen participation in identifying project priorities, decision making and implementation and leveraging primary economic activity of each city to augment employment generation will also be taken up at the consultation.

The two-day meeting will also review the progress achieved under JNNURM with regard to implementation of reforms.

During the inaugural session on January 30, a Postal Stamp on Swachh Bharat will be released. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Communications & IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Drinking Water & Sanitation Minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh will attend the inaugural session.