Singapore keen to partner India in building 100 Smart-Cities

Singapore on Thursday expressed its keen desire to partner with India in the development of 100 new smart cities in the country including a new capital for the state of Andhra Pradesh. This was conveyed to Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who held extensive talks with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former Prime Minister and Emeritus Minister Goh Chok Tong today, an official statement from the ministry said.

During the talks, both the sides decided to set up Committees to further examine and concertise the areas of cooperation in building 100 new smart cities in India, developing infrastructure for 500 towns and cities, development of heritage cities and urban housing programme, the statement said. Singapore reiterated its keenness to take up the project of developing the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, which was first indicated during the recent visit of Goh Chok Tong to India, the statement said.

Naidu also sought Singapore's assistance in promoting smart city features like Intelligent Transport Systems, e-urban governance including delivery of services, water management including recycling and solid waste management. Naidu is in Singapore after attending the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development that concluded in Seoul on Wednesday. The 100 smart cities in the country, to be built as satellite townships around the larger cities – many, along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) – though not restricted to the area, has been part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election campaign and the new government has already set aside Rs 7,060 crore in the 2014 budget, as seed money, for the project.