Nitish blamed for Patna non-inclusion in smart cities list

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday blamed the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for not sending in the name of the capital city for inclusion in the smart cities' list.

"The state government is responsible for non-inclusion of Patna in the list of smart cities. The state government did not send the name of Patna for inclusion in the smart cities' list," Naidu told media here.

He said that if the state government had sent the name of Patna for inclusion in the smart cities list, the central government would have considered it.

"The state government forwarded the name of three cities for inclusion in the smart cities list and all three were included in the list."

Naidu said that Patna would be included in the smart city list next year.

In a move aimed at enhancing the quality of urban life, the government on Thursday unveiled a list of 98 cities in the country for the Smart City Mission.

The central government proposes to offer financial support of Rs.48,000 crore to these cities over the next five years, he said.