Indore: President Droupadi Murmu, while attending the Smart Cities Conclave 2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, emphasised the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within a specified time frame. The President made these remarks during the awards ceremony for the winners of the India Smart Cities Award contest 2022.
President Murmu stressed on the crucial role of local-level participation for the successful implementation of the SDGs. She commended cities like Indore for their effective community involvement, resulting in cleaner and greener urban environments.
Furthermore, President Murmu pitched for greater efforts to enhance women’s safety in all cities, acknowledging that various parts of the country have already seen progress.
Union Urban and Housing Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also addressed the gathering, highlighting that the Smart Cities Mission is a vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that aims to forward the entire nation’s development. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Puri highlighted the program’s commendable performance.
Minister Puri emphasised that the Smart Cities Mission is an important element of India’s ambition to attain developed country status by 2047. He noted that the initiative has spurred innovation in urban ecosystems, encouraging the building of essential infrastructure, and enhanced services in India’s 100 largest cities.
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, emphasised the necessity of public participation to make cities smart and clean. He called for healthy competition among cities within Madhya Pradesh to achieve cleanliness.
Indore was awarded with the title of the best ‘National Smart City’, for its exemplary performance in the Smart Cities Mission, especially in sanitation, urban environment and water categories in the nation. Minister Puri also mentioned “Chappan Dukan”, the smart street food market, as Indore’s pride.
The second and third positions were occupied Surat and Agra respectively. Madhya Pradesh was awarded ‘Best State Award’, with Tamil Nadu at second place. Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh shared the third spot. Under five award categories, there were 66 winners – 35 in Project award, six in Innovation award, 13 in National/Zonal City award, five in state/UT Award and seven in Partner Award categories.
Coimbatore secured the top position in the built environment category, while Ahmedabad won for the culture and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) domain. Jabalpur led the economy category, while Chandigarh excelled in governance and mobility. Vadodara was acknowledged in the social aspects category, Hubbali Dharwad in the innovative ideas category, and Surat won the Covid innovation category.
Also Read More –
- President Droupadi Murmu to launch Ayushman Bhav campaign today
- Droupadi Murmu sworn in as India’s 15th President
