USTDA supports 2nd phase of Vizag smart city project

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) today said it has launched the second phase of its support to Visakhapatnam's efforts to build safe, efficient and integrated urban infrastructure.
The next phase of the project will deliver an integrated smart city master plan that will not only recommend planning frameworks for the entire city, but also develop specific recommendations to grow four key urban centres, USTDA said in a statement.
It will include integrated analyses and recommendations across eight priority smart city components, it said.
"This includes critical infrastructure such as transportation, water supply, sanitation and energy, as well as citizen-focused areas like social infrastructure and resilience planning," it added.

Since the project launched, a team of US companies - led by AECOM, including KPMG and IBM - have been working closely with leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Vizag.
Together, they have begun to identify the planning and investments required to sustainably grow and modernize the city, working toward the goal of making Vizag a clean commerce capital.

In a separate statement, it also said that during the 2016 US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the USTDA announced new partnerships that will support infrastructure development in India.
"We have invested in over 130 project preparation and partnership building activities to develop sustainable infrastructure across the country, with the help of innovative US solutions," USTDA Director Leocadia I Zak said.

Zak announced that USTDA will partner with India's Ministry of Finance under the agency's Global Procurement Initiative.
The GPI helps countries secure better procurement outcomes by promoting the use of value-based procurement mechanisms, including life-cycle cost analysis.
Further the USTDA is working with the Airports Authority of India, to extend the use of the GPS aided Geo-Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.
KPMG LLP (McLean, VA), a member of the US-India Aviation Cooperation Program, will help AAI develop a business case that encourages Indian airlines and airports to equip their aircraft and systems to utilise GAGAN, it said.
It also said that the USTDA's partnership in the Indian energy sector will help India Power Corporation Limited (IPCL) implement smart grid technologies on its network, particularly at its Gaya Distribution Franchise in the Kolkata metro region.