The Third Smart Cities Forum in New Delhi convened Indian and Russian officials, industry experts and global stakeholders to discuss sustainable, technology driven urban development and to strengthen bilateral ties. The session featured members of parliament, senior officials and diplomatic representatives, with Ram Chander Jangra and the Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov among participants and Alexey Bondaruk moderating. Discussions examined how shared digital and physical infrastructure can address the challenges of urbanisation.

Rajeev Jain, former Director General of the Press Information Bureau and former director general at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said the Smart Cities Mission has evolved from infrastructure to a citizen centred agenda that raises aspirations. He said the strategy used area based development and pan city solutions and that 100 Smart Cities have been operationalised, with more than 8,000 projects sanctioned and over 7,500 completed, representing 94 per cent implementation. He noted that investments exceeding Rupees (Rs) one point five trillion (tn) supported the rollout of Integrated Command and Control Centres, which proved critical for data driven governance.

Forum delegates highlighted regional examples to illustrate urban transformation, citing improved scientific waste management in Indore that altered public behaviour and Visakhapatnam's strengthening as a resilient coastal tourism hub. Interventions in Jammu and Kashmir reportedly enhanced public spaces and local confidence while digital governance and mobility solutions helped bridge geographic gaps in Northeastern cities such as Shillong, Agartala and Aizawl. In Udaipur, planners combined modern urban design with heritage conservation to support sustainable tourism and local identity.

Delegates observed that transformation is increasingly driven by citizens as improved services raise expectations and accelerate systemic change. Future priorities identified at the forum included scaling smart solutions city wide, increasing climate resilience and strengthening urban local bodies, alongside work on financing models. The event also underlined opportunities for India and Russia to deepen cooperation on digital systems and sustainable infrastructure to support long term urban resilience.