Surat hosts the ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization’ conference

The three-day “Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization” conference kicked off today in Surat. Under the clarion call of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), given by Hon’ble Prime Minister to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence, the event is being organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in collaboration with Surat Smart City Corporation Development Ltd.

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KEY POINTS:

• The event’s chief guest was Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, delivered a video message to the audience.
• Shri Kaushal Kishore, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Ms Darshana Jardosh, Shri Vinod Moradiya, Minister of Urban Development and Urban Housing, Government of Gujarat, Dr Audimulapu Suresh, Minister of Education, Andhra Pradesh, Shri C.R. Patil, MP, and Smt. Hemali Kalpeshkumar Boghawala, Mayor, Surat, were among those who attended the inaugural session.
• The event was attended by all key urban stakeholders from the Central and State Governments, including Secretary, MoHUA Shri Manoj Joshi, Principal Secretaries of States/UTs, Municipal Commissioners of Cities, MDs/CEOs of 100 Smart Cities, State Level Nodal Agencies/ Mission Directorates, professionals, industry representatives, media, and members of academia.
• During the inaugural, award winners of the India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020 were honoured with an awards distribution ceremony. In 2021, these prizes were first announced during a virtual conference.

However, because to the COVID-19 scenario at the time, the prize distribution ceremony was postponed. The Best City award went to Surat and Indore, and the Best State award went to Uttar Pradesh. Annexures I, II, and III contain a list of awards.

Important Takeaways:

• Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs: Shri Kaushal Kishore
• Minister of Education, Andhra Pradesh: Dr Audimulapu Suresh
• Mayor, Surat: Hemali Kalpeshkumar Boghawala
• Secretary, MoHUA: Shri Manoj Joshi

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