Naidu campaigns for US investments in urban sector

The Dollar Business Bureau

Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu has strongly pitched for US investments in India in urban sector during his recent visit to the US. He held a series of meetings and interactions in New York on Thursday. He explained to the US policy makers, officials and corporates about the opportunities under various initiatives of the government, Ministry of Urban Development said in a statement on Friday.

Naidu has provided the details of the urban renaissance process that is set in motion in the country with the introduction of several new urban missions that include Smart City Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation. He described the paradigm shift, the country is going to witness in urban development, due to the intensive efforts by the Government of India. 

The minister held bilateral talks with the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets Arun Kumar and the Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies Michael Bloomberg. The minister also met Deputy Mayor of New York Alicia Glen and the officials of US Trade Development Agency (USTDA). After addressing the US-India Business Council, he discussed with the chief executives and senior officials of corporates such as AECOM, KPMG, IBM and Master Card.

Michael Bloomberg, who is associated with holding Smart City Challenge competition in India, appreciated the new enthusiasm of the Indian government for developing the urban landscape of the country. He said that the government’s mission is a win-win situation for all.

Alicia Glen and officials of New York City have discussed with Naidu on the innovative approaches in delivering quality citizen services with the adoption of technology. Under Smart City Mission, India also plans to deliver mandatory pan-city solutions for providing better information and services to the public, Naidu said.

The US companies said that they are working on the proposals to take advantage of investment opportunities under the Smart City Mission as well as other urban development initiatives. Already, the USTDA has signed an MoU with the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in developing Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam as smart cities.