Puri to inaugurate first conference of Smart Cities CEOs tomorrow

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri will inaugurate the first of its kind conference of the CEOs of the 'Smart Cities' tomorrow which aims for cross-sharing of knowledge among the cities, the housing and urban affairs ministry said today.

The two-day conference First Apex Conference for the CEOs of Smart Cities' will be held in Bhopal. This is the first such conference after the launch of Smart Cities Mission on June 25, 2015.

The conference is being organised with an objective to provide momentum to the cities and a platform for cross-learning, sharing and disseminating the experience gained over the past two and a half years.

The exhibition and presentations by the CEOs will provide useful insights for accelerating project implementation and enable cross learning among Smart Cities, the housing and urban affairs ministry said in a release.

As many as 99 cities have been announced as smart cities so far under the mission. Each city would get Rs 500 crore as central assistance for implementation of the projects.

The plenary sessions will feature panel discussions and presentations by the CEOs, highlighting their high impact projects under the mission, the release said.

There will also be an exhibition showcasing the different projects being undertaken by the cities under the mission, it added.

List of invitees includes principal secretaries (urban development)/state mission directors, municipal commissioners, ambassadors of several countries, UN representatives, heads of multilateral/bilateral agencies and people from industry, the release said.