Andhra Pradesh Showcases Smart City Vision at Barcelona Expo

06 Nov 2025 CW Team

Andhra Pradesh will spotlight its pioneering Smart City development initiatives at the 14th Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2025, being held from November 4–6 in Barcelona, Spain. The State’s innovative projects across four key smart cities will focus on AI-driven solutions for sustainable urban growth.

S Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department, will represent India as a distinguished speaker at the congress. He will lead a three-member delegation comprising Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ketan Garg and Tirupati Municipal Corporation Commissioner Narapureddy Maurya.

Organised by Fira Barcelona with support from the Government of Spain, the European Union, and the World Bank, the annual event is expected to attract delegates from over 850 cities across 130 countries. It serves as a premier global platform for advancing smart and sustainable urban development.

Kumar, who played a key role in India’s Smart Cities Mission launched in 2015, now spearheads Andhra Pradesh’s ongoing urban transformation efforts. The State’s participation underscores its commitment to global best practices in building inclusive, technology-driven, and resilient urban ecosystems.

Greater Visakhapatnam and Tirupati — two of the State’s four designated Smart Cities — will showcase their achievements at the event. The delegation will also engage in Government-to-Government and Government-to-Business meetings, along with attending the concurrent events — ‘Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress’, ‘Tomorrow.Building World Congress’, ‘Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress’, and the ‘Barcelona Deep Tech Summit’.

Resources

26 Jun 2026

G R Infraprojects Founder Vinod Agarwal Passes Away

Vinod Kumar Agarwal, Founder and Promoter of G R Infraprojects, has passed away. He had been associated with the company since its inception in 1995. His vision, determination and entrepreneurial acumen laid the foundation for the company and helped shape its growth into a leading name in India’s infrastructure sector.Agarwal served as Managing Director from 2008 to 2021 and later as Chairman and Whole-time Director from 2021 to 2025. He stepped down from the office of Director on 10 November 2025. During his leadership tenure, the company moved through significant phases of growth, operatio..

Centre Prioritising Energy Security With Coal Gasification

Union minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said the Centre is prioritising energy security through a strategic shift to coal gasification and has announced incentives totalling Rs 460 billion (bn) to support the effort. He said more than 35 companies will start coal gasification activities in India within two months and that the government is encouraging firms that bring technology to close the domestic technology gap. The minister described the initiative as aimed at reducing import dependence and developing indigenous capacity. India has the fifth-largest coal reserve in the world, and..

BHEL and Coal India Invest Rs 250 bn in Odisha Gasification

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and Coal India (CIL) are jointly investing Rs 250 billion in a coal gasification project in Odisha, with the Prime Minister laying the foundation stone in Jharsuguda. Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy described the initiative as a transformative shift in coal utilisation that will open industrial avenues for the state. The project moves coal beyond conventional power generation to industrial feedstocks. Coal gasification will convert coal into synthesis gas, a versatile feedstock for chemicals, fertilisers and synthetic fuels, and the technology is ex..