Smart Cities, Smart Diplomacy

[youtube id=”vvE2CXuQXMs” mode=”normal”]Call it smart diplomacy, if you like. Dovetailing diplomacy and development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled his mission of building 100 smart cities in India and has reached out to some of India’s key partners, including the US, Japan, Singapore, China and Australia.

The smart city diplomacy will be in spotlight during the forthcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to India as the guest of honour at the Republic Day celebrations. The two countries are expected to seal agreements on the US companies deploying their expertise and technologies to help transform Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam into smart cities. The agreement would involve the US partnering in the transformation of the three cities as a knowledge partner in the areas of traffic management, solid waste management, garbage disposal, and water storage.

Forging knowledge partnership built around infrastructure transformation and skill building is the way to go… This is the true meaning of Chalein Saath Saath. The defining partnership of the 21^st century, as President Obama has said famously, is set to find home in smart eco-friendly cities that promises to transform the urban landscape of India. Think smart, act smart: And let a hundred smart cities bloom!

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