PM Modi, Bloomberg announce partnership in 'Smart Cities' initiative

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday announced a partnership to take forward the 'Smart Cities' initiative.

The partnership, which shall be between the Ministry of Urban Development and Bloomberg Philanthropies, shall look to promote economic growth, improve governance and deliver effective public services to urban residents across the nation.

According to a release by the Prime Minister's Office, Bloomberg Philanthropies shall provide help the ministry select cities for the initiative, as well as providing funding on a continuous basis. This move will seek to ensure that real citizen engagement takes place, with residents being involved both in design and execution of development plans, thus actualizing the idea of cooperative and competitive federalism.

In December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Ministry of Urban Development to convene a workshop of all central and state urban development authorities at the earliest and asked officials to identify the basics of infrastructure, quality of life, and citizen-centric services that would be essential to cities of the 21st century.

The Prime Minister further stated that cities should be identified as 'hubs of economic activity', adding that a focus on 'waste to wealth', that is, solid-waste management and waste-water treatment, would be an important part of the development of smart cities.