Britain offers thumbs-up to Telangana’s Smart City project

The Dollar Business Bureau

Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, has expressed his country’s intent to be a part of the Smart-City project in the state of Telangana. A release shared by Telangana government, mentions minister KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries, MA & UD, NRI affairs as saying that the foreign envoy was briefed about the initiatives of the government in smart city projects. The commissioner was quoted as appreciating TS-iPass, an initiative that simplifies certification and setting up of industrial projects.

TS-iPass (Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self Certification System), is a single-click system that enables industries to seek approval, inspection, grievances, and incentives of their industrial certifications. iPass is a first in the country that accepts self-certification of documents, while a nodal officer checks applications, and solves grievances, thereby providing much needed feedback. The system is similar with the one used by the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Firms in UK have been keen to setup their base in India, especially Telangana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with David Cameron in November 2015 had created a buzz, and organizations had expressed keenness in setting up hospitals in Telangana. The smart city website of the government of Telangana points out that Hyderabad is the World’s 2^nd best place to see in 2015- cited by an independent international travel publication and listed as one of the 41 must visit cities in the world, as per New York Times.

Warangal and Hyderabad, the two cities under the Smart City project, have great potential in development, apart from the scope as pointed out in the latest IT policy. KT Rama Rao, the industries minister, has been acknowledged in the media as a bureaucrat with sound knowledge of technology, and business, and generating adequate buzz and effecting investments.

The Smart city initiative which has been promoted majorly at enhancing security, and developing new citizen, business and commercial centric activities will ensure internet connectivity. A recently developed ICT policy, launched during April 2016, highlights the details of the state government’s policy. The policy drafts the framework for development, while it also details the incentives for IT expansion and draft policies for electronics, gaming, and innovation. This is beyond the state’s focus on sectors such as pharma, and technology.