+
Union Minister Discusses Urban Ties with ADB Chief
ECONOMY & POLICY

Union Minister Discusses Urban Ties with ADB Chief

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal met Asian Development Bank President Mr Masato Kanda in Delhi to discuss urban development collaboration. The Minister appreciated ADB’s role in knowledge frameworks supporting Union Budget 2025–26 priorities and sought support in pilot projects to serve as future models for city development.

The meeting covered inclusive housing, mass transit, sanitation, urban governance, and reform. Shri Lal highlighted India's multi-modal mobility boom, and successes under missions such as Swachh Bharat, AMRUT, and PMAY-Urban. He stressed that ADB’s alignment with India’s goals could help build sustainable and inclusive urban centres.

Mr Kanda praised the progress in the Rapid Rail Transit System, noting its impact on transport, pollution control, and social integration. He encouraged private sector involvement for innovative, integrated urban development.

The two leaders discussed enhancing the Urban Challenge Fund, with city-level support to improve project viability. It aims to transform services in one hundred cities by treating them as growth hubs. Shri Lal expressed interest in demonstration projects as lighthouse models.

The meeting concluded with Mr Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, thanking ADB for its commitment to India’s urban future.

Source
Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Power

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal met Asian Development Bank President Mr Masato Kanda in Delhi to discuss urban development collaboration. The Minister appreciated ADB’s role in knowledge frameworks supporting Union Budget 2025–26 priorities and sought support in pilot projects to serve as future models for city development. The meeting covered inclusive housing, mass transit, sanitation, urban governance, and reform. Shri Lal highlighted India's multi-modal mobility boom, and successes under missions such as Swachh Bharat, AMRUT, and PMAY-Urban. He stressed that ADB’s alignment with India’s goals could help build sustainable and inclusive urban centres. Mr Kanda praised the progress in the Rapid Rail Transit System, noting its impact on transport, pollution control, and social integration. He encouraged private sector involvement for innovative, integrated urban development. The two leaders discussed enhancing the Urban Challenge Fund, with city-level support to improve project viability. It aims to transform services in one hundred cities by treating them as growth hubs. Shri Lal expressed interest in demonstration projects as lighthouse models. The meeting concluded with Mr Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, thanking ADB for its commitment to India’s urban future.Source Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Power

Next Story
Real Estate

No glass boxes!

India is moving away from the ‘glass box’ syndrome, all-glass façades that were widely used in commercial buildings in the last two decades but came at a significant environmental cost given the country’s predominantly hot and humid climate. Poor thermal performance, excessive heat gain and dependency on mechanical cooling systems made buildings with glass façades energy guzzlers and significantly increased their carbon footprint.That said, it’s important to be aware that “glass is not the enemy,” points out Heena Bhargava, Architect, Architecture Discipline. “How it ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Why do pavements fail?

India’s highways continue to expand at a healthy pace. But conversations on the surface quality of highways are growing louder because major deficiencies and black spots continue to be identified, and they are cause for concern.“Road surface roughness causes vehicle vibrations that, in turn, can affect the performance of drivers,” explains Dr V K Gahlot, Road Safety Auditor, Centre for Research and Sustainable Development (CfRSD). “Continuous exposure may induce fatigue, a contributory factor to road accidents. Road surface roughness also affects the vehicle operating cost...

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

APAC Logistics Rents Fall for First Time Since 2020

Logistics rents across the Asia-Pacific region declined 0.4% year-on-year in H1 2025, marking the first annual drop since 2020, according to Knight Frank’s Logistics Highlights H1 2025 report. Despite global trade tensions and cautious occupier sentiment, India emerged as a standout performer, driven by robust manufacturing momentum and supply chain recalibration.Regional Trends and DivergenceWhile rents largely remained stable across most markets, regional differences became more pronounced:Mainland China continued to see rental declines, though the pace of decline moderated to 12.8% YoY, s..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?