Smart Cities Mission aims to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life, says Joshi
More than 160 PPP early-stage projects worth Rs.15,000 crore could benefit from private sector participation, both in terms of investment and development, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs said on 21 Jan 2022 after organising a virtual roadshow with Invest India.
The program, PPP opportunities under the Smart Cities Mission, also highlighted the need for driving continued participation from across the globe and the opportunities hosted on India Investment Grid, the portal developed by Invest India, that has received over 3.5 million views from more than 195 countries, with Smart Cities projects attracting increasing global interest.
During the roadshow, the Ministry stressed upon the importance of private sector participation in the progress of the Smart Cities Mission. There is a need for innovative solutions to develop the cities in a smart manner, and with the support of private sector, the Mission had successfully completed 228 PPP projects worth Rs.22,000 crore across 60+ cities.
PPP opportunities were showcased by CEOs from 10 Smart cities (Ranchi, Nashik, Nagpur, Srinagar, Pune, Gwalior, Imphal, Bilaspur, Shivamogga and Warangal) in 4 sectoral sessions, vis. Urban Transport, Commercial Infrastructure & Hospitality, Education and Energy. The projects covered areas such as market redevelopment, multi-level smart parking, urban mobility, solar power generation, development of multi-modal transport hubs as well as establishment of educational hub.
The audience consisted of established players in the Smart Cities ecosystem as well as new entities looking to foray into this rapidly growing space, with more than 200 attendees from about 100 organizations, including infrastructure and technology companies, start-ups, trade associations, financial investors and multilateral agencies participating in the event.
The roadshow, organised as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav activities under MoHUA, sought to provide an impetus to enabling stronger partnerships between the private sector and Smart Cities.
More opportunities from Smart Cities can be accessed on India Investment Grid (IIG) (www.indiainvestmentgrid.gov.in), the official discovery platform of Government of India.
“The Smart Cities Mission aims to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life through comprehensive work on social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of each city,” said Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
“Under the mission, the government has focussed on innovative digital technologies and solutions furthering its ‘Digital India’ mandate. Many projects related to e-governance, mobility, integrated traffic management and solid waste management have been very successful, and many more are envisaged,” he said.
“India has seen hugely positive interest from global investors on opportunities in infrastructure, including those from the Smart Cities Mission. There is enormous potential for fruitful partnerships with the private sector to unlock the new India growth story,” added Deepak Bagla, CEO, Invest India.
“The Smart Cities Mission provides an opportunity to private players to participate in building sustainable infrastructure through application of smart development solutions and innovative funding mechanisms,” Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary & Mission Director, Smart Cities Mission, told participants at the roadshow. fiinews.com
