Smart City Mission launched
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the flagship Smart City Mission into implementation mode with launch of 14 projects of Pune’s Smart City Plan, exactly a year after he set off the mission by releasing the Mission Guidelines.
Speaking on the occasion to a packed audience in the 5,000 capacity Shiv Chatrpati Sports Complex in Pune, Modi said that Smart City Mission is now succeeding as a people’s movement as envisaged. He expressed satisfaction over citizen participation in preparation of smart city plans of various cities with over 25 lakh people giving serious suggestions on MyGov.in.
Modi clarified that the central government did not select the smart cities but it was the citizens who enabled their selection in the ‘City Challenge Competition’. He asserted that if people were empowered and involved for participatory development, country will progress fast.
Modi said that an era of competition has been ushered in for improving conditions in urban areas and urged the citizens to rise to the challenge for bettering the conditions in respective cities and towns.
Stating that he has recently reviewed the progress of Smart City Mission over the last one year, Prime Minister expresses satisfaction over enthusiastic and large scale participation of people in formulation of comprehensive smart city plans, the way the City Challenge Competition was held for selection of cities, formulation of projects there under and their launch on June 25, 2016.
Modi stressed that it should not be seen as a fancy concept since the mission is meant for ensuring availability of all basic services to the people though necessary infrastructure including houses for urban poor in a comprehensive manner. He referred to extensive use of digital technology in the smart city plans for improving the quality of governance and public services.
Asserting that urbanization mitigates poverty and empowers the poor, Modi said that it should be seen as an opportunity instead of a problem.
Prime Minister stressed that if people were empowered and involved in participatory development, the country would develop fast. Noting that an era of competition among cities and towns has come to prevail, he urged the citizens to rise to the challenge for improvement of respective urban areas.
Referring to the changing attitudes, Modi said that gone were the days when the central government was looked as a giver of funds, it was now being looked at as a source of ideas.
Prime Minister also launched “Make Your City Smart” contest inviting people to come out with designs for street, junctions and open spaces and a ‘Smart Net Portal’ which is a net based platform for sharing of ideas and sourcing of solutions for smart city development. fii-news.com
