NEW DELHI, Jun 23:Thirty cities were added to the Centre's Smart Cities Mission and a total investment of Rs. 57,393 crore was announced by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday, taking the total number of smart cities to 90.

The announcement marks the second anniversary of the launch of the Smart Cities Mission.

Gangtok in Sikkim, Aizawl in Mizoram and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh figure in the new list of 30 cities announced on Friday for development as smart cities under the Centre’ Smart City Mission. The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing by the Centre under the scheme.

Announcing the new list of smart cities at an event in the national capital, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.

An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed under smart city plans. Under the Smart City Mission, the Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of 5 years for implementing various projects. According to the scheme there is space for another 10 cities to be developed as smart cities.

Thiruvananthapuram has topped the list of new smart city list. Names of smart cities announced on Friday are: Naya Raipur, Rajkot, Amaravati, Patna, Karimnagar, Muzaffarpur, Puducherry, Gandhinagar, Srinagar, Sagar, Karnal, Satna, Bengaluru, Shimla, Dehradun, Tiruppur, Pimpri Chinchwad, Bilaspur, Pasighat, Jammu, Dahod, Tirunelveli, Thootukkudi, Tiruchirapalli, Jhansi, Aizawl, Allahabad, Aligarh, Gangtok.

CM Khandu congratulates people, lauds effort of govt machinery

ITANAGAR, Jun 23:Chief Minister Pema Khandu today congratulated the people of Pasighat in particular and Arunachal Pradesh in general after the oldest town of the state was included in the new list of 30 cities announced for development as smart cities under the Centre’s Smart City Mission.

“Despite being left out in the previous listings, we did not lose hope. Our determination and our perseverance have finally paid off. I cannot find enough words to thank the East Siang district administration, Pasighat Municipal Council and the citizens of Pasighat in particular for pursuing with grit and finally getting a place in the Smart City list of the country,” Khandu said in a statement from New Delhi.

The Chief Minister also congratulated Sikkim and Mizoram as capital cities of both these North Eastern states – Gangtok and Aizwal respectively – are included in the announced list of 30 smart cities.

Hailing the Smart City Mission – launched on June 25, 2015 - as one ambitious and innovative program of the NDA Government, Khandu expressed optimism that all these selected cities will act as zones of prosperity in a particular region and will help in minimising ill-effects of rapid urbanisation.

Pasighat if developed in a right way can become a focal point for the government’s Act East policy via the northeast. The critical factors of infrastructure like roads, railways, waterways and airways are being developed and will soon become arteries of transportation and communication. Smart city would not only bring good life to the people but also provide them with affordable access to health, education, water, sanitation, electricity, etc. The fruits of development would also help mitigate extremism and negate migration, which are volatile issues along the state’s border regions. The city of Pasighat can be created as a tourism hub and an educational centre of the state. With developed transportation, the new smart city can create many industrial hotspots and absorb more people generating employment opportunities.

“Now sky’s the limit for Pasighat via the smart city mission. Let’s join hands to make it one of the best smart cities of the country. Meanwhile, lets also work diligently to enable Itanagar to make it to the prestigious list of 100 smart cities of the country,” Khandu added.

Gao calls smart city selection ‘great honour’

ITANAGAR, Jun 23: BJP Arunachal Pradesh President, Tapir Gao, while congratulating the people on Pasighat’s selection in the smart city list termed it as a ‘great honour’.

‘Selecting Pasighat, the oldest town of the state, is indeed the greatest honour to the century old town where most of the earliest public leaders, legislators and senior government officials, who shaped the destiny of the Arunachal Pradesh were groomed and educated. It is, therefore, a beautiful gift and tribute to the first centre of learning of Arunachal Pradesh,’ Gao said.

While appreciating the Centre’s decision, Gao expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Urban Development, Venkaiah Naidu for their kind gesture towards the people of the State. He opined that with development of Pasighat as a smart city, the economic growth of eastern Arunachal Pradesh will see a new impetus and trajectory.  ‘This latest development once again vindicates the commitment of NDA government under the leadership PM Modi towards development of north-eastern region,’ he asserted.

While appreciating Chief Minister Pema Khandu, for his support and guidance to the Smart City competition campaign, Gao felt that it was only because of the active support of the State Government, Pasighat Town could compete and win the smart city selection competition this time. 

On an advisory note, the State BJP President expressed that winning of the smart city competition was just the beginning of the mission. ‘In order to realise the vision as envisaged in the Smart City proposal, all the citizens of the State along with the State Government has to work hard to transform the century old Pasighat Town into a real smart city,’ he said urging all to join hands in making Pasighat truly the first smart city of the State.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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