Shri Sinha complimented the 20 winners for coming top in the first round of Smart City Challenge Competition which he said was fiercely contested based on comprehensive evaluation criteria.
The minister said that Indian companies have been associated with the smart cities mission. "It is also the first time that the government is investing funds in urban development on the basis of a competitive selection", an urban development ministry spokesperson said. Union minister of Urban Development said a total of 15.20 million citizens participated in preparation of the ambitious smart city plans at various stages.
There are 97 cities in the Smart City Challenge as mentioned in an NDTV report, which essentially aims at sustainable and inclusive development.
Of the total 97 cities or towns proposed for the programme by different state governments, 20 have been selected in the city-level competition. "With all your support jointly let's make #Bhubaneswar a world class city".
Singapore is already involved in developing Amaravati, the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Overall, 20 cities have been selected.
He however informed that the 23 States and Union Territories (UTs) who could not make to the list of winners would be given an opportunity to participate in a "fast track competition". Jammu and Kashmir is yet to decide on its choice for the Smart City Mission.
The cities have to set up Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement the project and the funds will be released to the SPV only. "Nothing was decided by us, nothing was dictated by us", he said.
The non-inclusion of Dehradun drew a sharp reaction from the Uttrakhand government which termed it as a decision which reflects the Centre's attitude of neglect towards the Congress-ruled state. IT connectivity and e-governance with citizen participation will be the backbone of these cities.
For the current phase of the competition, a percentage score was assigned to each city based on how good their proposals were. "No smart city for J&K today", Omar tweeted.
Naidu expects the implementation of smart city mission to demonstrate how integrated planning, area development and smart technologies can deliver better quality of life, improve economic output, provide opportunities and bring about the desired urban transformation.
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Quelle/Source: Leader Call, 29.01.2016
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