Rajasthan govt wants Ajmer, Kota to be smart cities

JAIPUR: Principal Secretary, Local Self Government, Government of Rajasthan, Dr. Manjit Singh said it is a matter of pride that two cities of Rajasthan -- Jaipur and

Udaipur

– have been selected in the first 20 cities out of 100 cities in Phase 1 of the Smart City Mission. d Smart City Proposals have been sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for Kota and Ajmer as well, he informed. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the Conference on ‘Smart & Green Liveable Cities’ here on Friday.

For the successful implementation of the Smart City Scheme, it is essential for the public to enthusiastically participate in its development, said Jaipur Mayor, Nirmal Nahata. The day-long Conference was organized by the

Confederation of Indian Industry

(

CII

) in association with

Department of Local Self Government

(LSG), Government of Rajasthan;

Jaipur Municipal Corporation

and

Jaipur Smart City Ltd

.

He said that each city has its own unique and kind of ‘smartness’. The smart city policy framework of Jaipur has been developed keeping in mind that it is a heritage city. Nahata further said that not only should better policies relating to smart cities be formulated and implemented but they should also be economically viable.

The Mayor said the increasing population of the cities is impacting the civic infrastructure. New schemes, therefore, have to be made keeping this aspect in mind. The smart cities envisage improving the quality of life of its citizens. On the occasion, Nahata released the theme paper on Smart & Green Liveable Cities. He also launched the Kota Smart Card which will provide a digital, mobile and cashless platform for everyday use of common man in Kota.