Monday 29 December 2014

India’s First Smart City Takes Shape in Gujarat

India’s first smart city project is going great in Gujarat, one of India's largest manufacturing hubs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

Launched in 2007, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) is Modi's dream project and a joint venture between the Gujarat state government and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services.

The $12 billion smart city, located 12km from Ahmedabad international airport and 8km from the state capital, Gandhinagar, aims to become a global financial hub, offering international companies world-class infrastructure.

GIFT city has made it onto a list of the world's 100 most inspirational and innovative projects, compiled by international accounting firm KPMG, which said the mega project in Gujarat combines state-of-the-art connectivity, infrastructure and transportation with sustainable and environmentally sensitive growth.

Smart cities is the catchphrase as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government lays the groundwork for his ambitious programme aimed at setting up 100 such urban settlements nationwide.

The PM wants to take big city living to a new level where 24/7 utilities services becomes an essential in public service delivery.

Modi's vision for advanced cities that benefit from the latest technology has finally begun to take shape with the Ministry of Urban Development identifying almost all the locations where they will be built. In the Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had promised allocation of a sum of Rs.7,060 crore for the development of the smart cities.

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