India: Addressing the media for the first time after assuming charge, the new Urban Development and Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister (HUPA) Venkaiah Naidu said that his ministry would focus on developing 100 new smart cities by 2020.. "The new phase for improving our cities will be launched soon. We will launch a new mission in place of JNNURM. The new mission will focus on modern concepts for cities on Geographic Information Based planning and will have solid and liquid waste management to develop clean cities.
These will offer a smart, safe and better environment, better facilities, better connectivity and better living conditions. We are finalising the concept. This is what PM Modi has also visualised,"he said.
He added that the Urban Development Ministry will give priority to linking of twin cities and infrastructure development of satellite towns and cleaning of religious cities across the country. He also informed media that the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the UPA government’s flagship urban modernisation programme, will be discontinued, and that the smart city initiative is yet to be named.
Source: NDTV
