OREANDA-NEWS. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch Smart City projects on Saturday i.e June 25,2016 kick starting execution of Smart City Plans of 20 cities selected in the first round of ‘Smart City Challenge Competition’. This marks the beginning of holistic and integrated urban development in the country as envisaged under the new urban missions launched by the Government.

Prime Minister will launch 14 projects under the Smart City Plan of Pune from the city’s 5,000 capacity Shiv Chatrapati Sports Complex at a programme to be presided over by the Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu. Maharashtra Governor Shri Ch.Vidyasagara Rao and Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis will also be present on the occasion. Another 69 such projects will be launched the same day in the other Smart Cities entailing a total investment of about Rs.1,770 cr.

The projects to be launched in Pune and other cities include Solid Waste Management projects under Swachh Bharat Mission, Water Supply Projects, Sewage Treatment Plants and development of open and green spaces under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Housing Projects for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and area development and technology based Pan-city Solutions under Smart Cities Mission realizing the objective of convergence in implementation of new urban missions.

Saturday’s launch also marks the beginning of implementation of urban development plans based on five year action plans formulated after detailed analysis of infrastructure gaps in over 500 cities included in Smart City Mission and AMRUT, accounting for about 70% of country’s urban population. This brings to an end the ad hoc and project based approach to urban development followed so far.

Prime Minister Shri Modi will also inaugurate ‘Make Your City SMART’ contest aimed at involving citizens in designing roads, junctions, parks etc. Suggestions and designs suggested by the citizens will be duly incorporated by respective smart cities. Winners of this contest will be given rewards in the range of Rs.10,000/- to Rs.1,00,000/-. This is aimed at continuing citizen participation in the planning under which about 1.50 crore citizens participated in the formulation of Smart City Plans to making of smart cities.

Smart Net Portal also will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister which enables the cities under different urban missions to share ideas and source solutions for various issues during the implementation of various missions.

All the first batch of 20 smart cities will be linked through video-conferencing on the occasion of launch of projects by the Prime Minister.

Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) were launched by the Prime Minister on June 25 last year. Subsequently, two rounds City Challenge competitions were conducted to pick up the first batch of 20 smart cities whose projects are being launched on Saturday. These 20 cities have proposed a total investment of Rs.48,000 cr in area development and Pan-city solutions.