PPP projects worth Rs 15k crore available under smart city projects

Under the Smart Cities Mission, an ambitious urban infrastructure plan of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), a total of 160 public-private partnership (PPP) early-stage projects totalling Rs 15,000 crore are available in various smart cities. Since the Smart Cities Mission had completed 228 PPP projects worth Rs 22,000 crore across 60+ cities, the MoHUA and Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, organised a virtual roadshow to showcase PPP opportunities under the Smart Cities Mission, in which various smart city CEOs directly showcased PPP opportunities from their cities to private investors and start-ups. During this virtual roadshow, the Ministry emphasised the necessity of business sector involvement in the Smart Cities Mission's growth. The event also emphasised the importance of maintaining global engagement and the opportunities available on India Investment Grid, a portal built by Invest India that has garnered over 3.5 million views from over 195 countries, with smart city initiatives gaining growing global attention. Deepak Bagla, CEO, of Invest India said that global investors have shown a strong interest in India's infrastructure potential, especially those offered by the Smart Cities Mission. To unleash the New India growth story, there is immense potential for beneficial cooperation with the private sector. CEOs from ten smart cities, including Nagpur, Ranchi, Nashik, Srinagar, Pune, Bilaspur, Gwalior, Imphal, Shivamogga, and Warangal, presented PPP potential in four sectoral sessions, including urban transportation, commercial infrastructure and hospitality, education, and energy. Multi-level smart parking, market renovation, urban mobility, solar power generation, the creation of multi-modal transportation hubs, and the establishment of educational hubs were all covered by the projects. Image Source Also read: NDMC to upgrade four major parks under Smart City projects