Prominent Ministers, including Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Udit Raj & Chandrakant Khaire graced the occasion.
Supporting the Prime Minister’s quest to develop 100 Smart Cities, the 2nd day at Smart Cities 2015 expo, continued to showcase concurrent sessions on social and economic pillars of smart cities. The 2nd day of the expo witnessed prominent dignitaries such as Smt. Yashodhara Raje Scindia, the current Minister for Commerce, and Chairman Industries and Employment, Madhya Pradesh who shared, “The concept of Smart Cities can be very much accomplished if central, state and city administration work in tandem to achieve this goal. The initiative is the need of the hour to accommodate and provide quality life to our future generations.’’
Shri Chandrakant Khaire, Member of Parliament, Aurangabad, National Executive Member Bharatiya Janata Party and Shri Udit Raj, Member of Parliament, North-west Delhi constituency and National Chairman, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations also took out time to personally interact with present exhibitors showcasing their commitment toward the smart cities project.
The Smart Cities India 2015 expo included the launch of a report by NASSCOM titled “Integrated ICT and Geospatial Technologies Framework for the 100 Smart Cities Mission”. The report is an attempt to demystify the technological integrations that can enable a city in its journey to become a Smart City. It also provides an overview on the recommended implementation framework and approach. Companies such as Accenture, Association of Geo-Spatial Industries & Orkash partnered with NASSCOM in developing the same.
The other conference sessions dispensed extensive knowledge on many aspects ranging from role of technology to safety & surveillance in Smart Cities. The European delegation shared candidly how India needs to first identity what initiatives are feasible and commercially viable under Smart Cities project and then draw inferences from many European cities example. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) will form the basis of sharing knowledge, goods, machinery, etc. for building sustainable cities in India. Mr. Poul V. Jensen, Director, European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC) quoted “Shaping a smart city is not all about technology. It is more related to people and having a positive impact. India can draw inspiration and references from many European cities and then apply the ones that fit best for the Indian scenario”.
Discussion topics also delved into how companies in India and institutes such as Yes Institute, an initiative by Yes Bank, can work towards identifying unique challenges such as municipal funding and generating effective solutions. On the forefront of renewable energy, panellists brainstormed on the implementation of green infrastructure to achieve maximum efficiency and reduce wastage of precious resources to bare minimum. The speakers stressed upon making the consumers aware of the benefits related to green residential and commercial buildings. The discussion also comprised of giving value to social issues beyond infrastructure and mobility, such as education and health. Skill development was given vital importance as residents of a smart city should not just focus on availing degrees, but also stress on enhancing their employment related skills for an added economic advantage.
“Smart Cities should generate employment opportunities. Beside basic education, special focus need to be paid on skill development and enhancement in India so that the social pillar of Smart Cities results in reducing the inequality gap,” said Atul Bhatnagar – COO, National Skill Development Council, India.
