Mumbai, August 22: Amid connecting cities and technology, there is an immense opportunity for a self-reliant, inclusive, and sustainable future. Driving this will be the 7th Smart Urbanation 2022 to be held on August 26 at the Hotel Sahara Star in Mumbai. The event will witness the coming together of all stakeholders of the smart cities mission, vis; policy makers, municipal authorities and ULB’s, technology and service providers, academicians and strong citizen groups to spark a powerful urban tomorrow in India. Like every edition, Smart Urbanation will also host the Smart Project Awards that will be recognising pioneering projects, ideas and strategies, making cities in India more liveable, sustainable and economically viable.Over the years, Smart Urbanation, organised by ASAPP Info Global Group has grown into much more than just an event. By encouraging cross-sectoral conversations, fostering partnerships, catalysing relationships between public and private players, and building a platform to share knowledge, the event has developed a ground-breaking model of advocacy for a better urban world.The awards Keynote Speaker Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary & Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, will be addressing the attendees on what’s coming up under the Smart Cities Mission in India. The event is set to witness high-worth networking with the presence of municipal commissioners and smart city CEO's from over 30 cities across the country. Some of India’s experienced master planners and national builders will be sharing perspectives, market scenario, growth and real numbers.Corey Gray, Chairman, LVX Global, and Dinesh Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, Panasonic Life Solutions, will speak on collaborative technology solutions for urban planning and governance. And Shalini Goyal Bhalla, Managing Director, International Council for Circular Economy, will share insights on incorporating circular economy in development plans of cities. NSN Murthy, Partner & Leader, Government & Public Services, Deloitte, and Akhilesh Kumar Srivastava, Global Mobility Expert, World Economic Forum, will discuss platforms for transportation and the built environment.Also, Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO, Janaagraha, Bengaluru, and Ashish Khare, Global Head IOT and Smart cities, WIPRO, will throw light on the Smart Cities Model – A roadmap for urban transformation, with Dr Sonia Sethi, Principal Secretary(2), Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra, delivering the keynote address prior to the discussion. Looking forward to the event, Sethi says, “Maharashtra’s eight smart cities are working towards holistic and sustainable urban development and we are committed to complete all projects under Smart City Mission by June 2023.”Additionally, SPV CEO and municipal commissioners of Silvassa Smart City, Thane Smart City, Varanasi Smart City, Nagpur Smart City, Belgavi Smart City, and Vadodara Municipal Corporation, will be among the eminent speakers at Smart Urbanation 2022 across discussions.Pratap Padode, Founder & Executive Director, Smart Cities Council India, who will be giving the welcome address at the event, says, “Smart Urbanation has become a platform for mature thoughts and ideas on urbanisation. City officials from over 30 cities all over India are converging to deliberate solutions on technology, governance, mobility, waste and water management. Start-ups too use this platform for getting recognised. The ‘Best Smart City CEO’ campaign has generated a Digital Mahabharat among cities.”The event is presented by Smart Cities Council India. With Maharashtra being the Host State, cities that would be displaying their smart cities progress and upcoming projects will include Thane Smart City, Solapur City Development Corporation, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Pune Smart City Development Corporation, Nagpur Smart & Sustainable City Development Corporation, Nashik Smart City, and Aurangabad Smart City. Additionally, partners in success for this event include Panasonic Life Solutions and Schindler India (Smart Mobility Partner). The event is further supported by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India; Jal Shakti; National Institute of Urban Affairs; and Smart Cities Mission.India’s Smart Cities Mission completed seven years on June 25, 2022. Under this initiative, the Centre committed an amount of Rs 480 billion for 100 cities, to be disbursed over the span of five years, with a matching equivalent amount to be released by the states. The Centre has so far released a total of Rs 284.14 billion, of which 83 per cent has been utilised. The city development plans have been designed around the budget, however, the utilisation amount has not yet crossed the 50 per cent mark.Considering that each city had conferred with their citizens to plan interventions to improve liveability, workability and sustainability within their respective cities, with no financial constraints, and given that more than 50 per cent of funds stand untapped, this seems like a missed opportunity. WWinners of SMART PROJECT AWARDS 2022 So, what’s next for smart cities in India? Smart Urbanation 2022 is set to bring all stakeholders of the Smart Cities Mission to spark a powerful urban tomorrow.For inquiries contact Deepti.Khanna@India.SmartCitiesCouncil.com