4/2015

The Resurgent Rajasthan Summit held in November 2015 in Jaipurwas a grand success. Along with colleagues, I had participated in the

same. The energy, which existed at the meeting was great and thuspregnant with huge possibilities of garnering new investments in thestate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to open the eventbut he could not come. Instead the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley came.Several other Cabinet-level Ministers from Delhi also attended the event,as they do at other similar events in other states: �Cooperative federalismin practice�.

For nearly one year, the state government had conducted smaller investor meetingsas a run up to the main event in many cities of India and abroad. That was smart andworked well in attracting investors to visit Jaipur for the Summit. Some had alreadysigned up their own Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to invest well in advance.

Additionally, a well-designed publicity campaign was done on TV and print medium,including in the world business daily London-based Financial Times. Perhaps it was alsodone in other foreign newspapers, which I might not have seen. The noted actor: Jaipur-born Irrfan Khan was the model used in the advertising. This was very smart consideringthat advertisements usually use some beautiful actor or even the Chief Minister of thestate. What a relief? In fact, Irrfan also spoke beautifully at the opening session of theSummit. Large number of business honchos attended and spoke at the long openingsession.

Mind you it was not only Rajasthan, which organised such a grand event, but manyother states were also doing it. Hence, there is tough but healthy competition among thestates, for the first time in India, which has been a result of the present Government.They are also competing against each other in lowering barriers to do business under ascheme fostered by the Government of India, led by a dynamic officer Amitabh Kant,who recently moved to the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.

That said, it was announced that 295 MoUs worth M3.3 lakh crore were signed. TheChief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje said that it will generate 2.5 lakh new jobsin the state. In addition, the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister announced aninvestment of M10,000 crore. Raje said: �Now we have to convert the MoUs signedbefore and during the Resurgent Rajasthan into achievements on ground�.

Importantly, the proof of the pudding lies in eating it. That is to say, converting theMoUs into actual investments resulting in job creation. In Rajasthan, figures of 30 to 50percent are being speculated as the likely conversion rate. Many such state Summitshave generated similar figures. The state of Gujarat was an outlier with promises of M20lakh crore made over time. However, the opposition Congress in Gujarat said that between2003 and 2011 only 9 percent had fructified. The problem is that states do not share suchdata, which they should do voluntarily under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

After all, MoUs are statements of intent and conversion would depend highly uponseveral collateral factors, including the speed of myriad clearances. In spite of the �easeof doing business� competition among states, there are many things, which depend uponthe babus responsible. Afraid, they have been brought up in the culture of socialism andthat profit is a dirty word. One does hope that this situation changes over time.

Resurgent Rajasthan � New RoadmapResurgent Rajasthan � New RoadmapResurgent Rajasthan � New RoadmapResurgent Rajasthan � New RoadmapResurgent Rajasthan � New Roadmapfor Economic Growthfor Economic Growthfor Economic Growthfor Economic Growthfor Economic Growth

Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General

www.google.com

I N S I D E

! Fine on Fairness Cream

! Legal Trial over Koh-i-noor

! Bureaucrats Not to InaugarateEvents

! Smart City Plans

! Metro Updates

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200 Year Old ManuscriptThe discovery of Jaisamand Prashasti,

a manuscript written in April 1819 bypoet and Jain monk of India, YatiGyanchandra, at the Royal Asiatic

Library, London(UK) recentlyhas elatedhistorians andwriters ofMewar region ofRajasthan.

The manuscript illustrating the gloryof Mewar kingdom and the world famousJaisamand Lake of Udaipur had beencompiled for Colonel James Todd of EastIndia Company who took them with himin 1828 to the British land.

The script of Jaisamand Prashasti hadgone missing, and hence the stoneinscription had not been possible at thelake sides. The transcript, whichconstitutes of 18 chapters containingmore than 1500 shlokas gives a detailedaccount of the massive water body.

(ToI, 02.11.15)

World Record Breaking MemoryA 21-year-old student has set a

Guinness World Record by memorising70,000 post-decimal digits of Pi, beatinga Chinese, who had held the record for10 years. Rajveer Meena, a resident ofMohocha village in Swaimodhapurdistrict of Rajasthan, had in March setthe record by reciting post-decimalPi values up to 70,000 digits in 9 hoursand 27 minutes.

He was awarded the certificate ofGuinness World Record for memory onOctober 01, 2015. Earlier, the recordwas held by Lu Chao. He had recitedpost-decimal Pi values up to 67,890digits in 24 hours and 7 minutes in 2005.

(TH, 06.10.15)

Desi Attire for ConvocationThe word �convocation� conjures up

an image of jubilant students in thosetrademark black ceremonial robes,

flinging their black scholars� hats intothe air. Those black robes have been astaple of college and universityconvocations across the country foryears. The universities and colleges in theState of Uttar Pradesh (UP) areincreasingly doing away with thetraditional black gowns in favour of morecolourful and vibrant attire.

While some are merelyexperimenting with the colours anddesigns of the robes, there areinstitutions that are ditching theconvocation robes altogether in favourof more desi attire. (ToI, 01.11.15)

A Medicinal ChocolateScientists claim that they have

developed a chocolatethat is so healthy

that it could betaken asmedicine. Thekey ingredientin chocolate is

cacao, which contains antioxidants andminerals, and can even help lower bloodpressure while increasing �good�cholesterol.

Chief scientist Gregory Aharonian ofKuka Xoco, which is developing thechocolate, said: �Using micrograms ofcoca plant extract, we can de-bitterunsweetened cacao. This eliminates theneed for sugar, sweeteners and much ofthe fat in chocolate, unleashing themedical benefits of cacao�. (BL, 06.10.15)

Fine on Fairness CreamIn a judgment that might cause ripples

in the cosmetics industry, a consumercourt has imposed a penalty of M15 lakhon Emami Limited for �misrepresenting�to the public about its fairness creamfor men. The company�s advertisementsclaim the cream makes skin fairer.

The District Consumer DisputesRedressal Forum (Central), Delhi, heldthat Emami had adopted unfair tradepractices by claiming through itsadvertisements that its product �Fair andHandsome Cream� would give men fairerskin in three weeks.

Nikhil Jain had purchased the creamon October 08, 2012. �After using thecream for three weeks, I did not see anydifference on my face�, he stated in hiscomplaint. The Consumer Forum hasdirected Emami to withdraw theadvertisements. (TH, 07.11.15)

E-Driving LicenceFor those living in Hyderabad, can

safely leave their driving licence, vehicleinsurance and registration papers athome. Instead, they can carry certifiedelectronic copies in their smart phoneor tablet and show it to the traffic copson demand. Hyderabad traffic police isdoing a pilot in Cyberabad, the IT-hubof Hyderabad, to test the efficacy of theservice.

�After the pilot, we will expand theservice to the whole of Hyderabad�, ITand Panchayat Raj Minister, K T RamaRao of the newly formed state Telanganastated. The Government is also planningto digitise the health records of peoplein the state. (BL, 07.10.15)

Trip for Hygine LessonsThe New Delhi Municipal Council

(NDMC) has decided to send a groupof safai karmcharis (sweepers) and beldars(diggers) on an official trip to Japan andSouth Korea, so that they can learnabout sanitation, cleanliness, wastedisposal as well as upkeep of localmarkets, residential colonies andtownships.

The week-long trip has beenapproved by the Ministry of ExternalAffairs (MEA). �We were surprised whenwe saw the list of group members. I amseeing such a proposal to send ground-level staff for the first time � otherwisemost foreign trips are taken by seniorofficials�, said an MEA official.

(IE, 13.11.15)

Fascination for InjectionsCambodia is known for its rich

culture and history, natural beauty,exquisite templeslike the AngkorWat, the Vietnamwar, the KhmerRouge, landmines, and more.But not manypeople are awareof this SoutheastAsian nation�s quirks and eccentricities� like this particular obsession thatlocals have with needles.

While most people in other parts ofthe world would do anything to avoidgetting injected, things are quite theopposite in Cambodia, where citizenshave a fascination for injections andintravenous (IV) drips. (OC, 18.12.15)

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The Real SantaHilcorp, a private oil and natural gas

exploration and production companybased in Texas (US), is in the news for itsunprecedented generosity towardsemployees. To celebrate an excellentyear, Chief Executive Officer JeffHildebrand gave the entire company staff

huge bonuses � US$100,000 to each ofthe 1,381 workers. It seems Santa is realafter all.

�It is just a true gift�, said receptionistAmanda Thompson, who has worked atHilcorp for the past 10 years. �And Ithink myself, as long as everyone else isnot going to give any less than onehundred percent each day�.

With this kind of rewards, it is reallyno wonder that the company wasincluded in the Fortune list of 100 BestCompanies to work for, the third yearin a row. (OC, 14.12.15)

Healthy Positive EmotionsA new research has suggested that

people who inculcate positive emotionsand maintain positivity are less likely todevelop any heart disease than thosewho tend not to be happy.

The research conducted by PennState (US) examined 1,000 patients withcoronary heart disease over the courseof five years and observed that thepatients who reported higher positivepsychological states were more likely tobe physically active, sleep better and taketheir heart medications and were alsoless likely to smoke, compared to patientswith lower levels of positive states.

(TH, 07.10.15)

Zero-Waste TownA small Japanese town � Kamikatsu,

with a population of just over 1,700, ison a mission to become the country�sfirst �zero-waste� community by 2020.Kamikatsu has already recycled about 80percent of its trash, with the last 20percent going into a landfill.

In 2003, Kamikatsu declared its �zero-waste� ambition after the town gave up

the practice of dumping trash into anopen fire for fear of endangering boththe environment and the population.

There are no garbage trucks, so eachresident of the town has to wash, sortand bring their trash to the recyclingcentre. A worker oversees the sortingprocess at the centre, making sure trashgoes into the right bins.

(http://www.citylab.com/09.12.15)

Dust and Smog BrickHave you ever imagined air so thick

that you could literally vacuum the dirtout of it? Well, believe it or not, a Chineseartist known as Nut Brother has actuallygone and done that in a bid to raiseawareness about environmentalprotection. He used an industrial vacuumcleaner outdoors during smoggy days inBeijing and eventually made a brick outof all the dust he collected.

In his 100 day �Dust Plan� he got a1,000 Watt vacuum cleaner thatabsorbed 100 gm of a mixture of �dustand smog� from the amount of air inhaledby about 62 people in just four days.

(OC, 03.12.15)

Legal Trial over Koh-i-noorLobby group made up of Indian

businessmen and actors is mounting alegal challenge against Queen Elizabeth IIdemanding the return ofthe world famous Koh-i-noor diamond toIndia. The 105-caratstone, believed tohave been mined inIndia nearly 800 yearsago, was presented toQueen Victoria and is presently set in acrown belonging to the Queen�s motheron public display in the tower of London.

David de Souza, co-founder of theIndian leisure group Titos, is helping tofund the new legal action and hasinstructed British lawyers to begin highcourt proceedings.

�The Koh-i-Noor is one of the manyartefacts taken from India under dubiouscircumstances�, De Souza stated.

(ToI, 09.11.15)

Gastric Balloon PillPeople with obesity can now avoid

painful gastric bypass surgeries to curbtheir appetite by means of a swallowablegastric balloon pill, which can beswallowed in the form of a pill that

inflates, once it enters the stomachfilling a portion of it and creating thesensation of fullness that helps to eat less.

Developed by Allurion Technologies,a Massachusetts-based company, the pilltouted as a �safe and effective weight losstool� that �empowers overweight andobese individuals to reclaim their health�.The balloons are placed in the stomachendoscopically, left in there for severalmonths, and are then removedendoscopically. (OC, 29.12.15)

Youngest to Make RobotGreek teenager Dimitris Hatzis has

become the youngest person in theworld to build a 3D printed life-sizefunctional robot. 15-year-old Dimitris�sfeat was a part of �InMoov�, an opensource project run by French sculptorand designer Gael Langevin.

The project provides a design that isreplicable on any home 3D printer witha 12x12x12 cm area. Using theseinstructions, Dimitris spent over 1,400hours planning, experimenting, printing,and assembling the robot.

Dimitris is the youngest of only sixpeople in the world who have been ableto follow Langevin�s design andsuccessfully complete the project.

(OC, 05.12.15)

Households to Lose LPG SubsidyThe Union Government is actively

examining discontinuation of subsidies,such as the one given on domesticLiquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylindersto all households having an annualincome of M10 lakh and above. It couldhappen in the near future as indicatedby Union Minister for UrbanDevelopment, Housing and PovertyAlleviation M Venkaiah Naidu.

He also said that the governmentwas also planning to give other subsidieslike the one on urea directly to farmers,instead of giving it to fertiliser companies.

�By doing so, the government isplanning to maintain a financialequilibrium in society�, Naidu said.

(TH, 15.11.15)

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Injury Research CentreWith ever increasing road injuries

caused each year in India, a Centrefor Injury Research (CIR) will be setup to design and conduct researchstudies, capacity building andintervention projects in the area ofinjury and accidents.

For this, Indian Institute of HealthManagement Research (IIHMR)University, Jaipur, with its core areain Research, Academics and Training,has signed a Letter of Agreement(LoA) with the Johns HopkinsInternational Injury Research Unit toset up the CIR in Jaipur.

Over 10 lakh vehicles areregistered alone every year inRajasthan and their number isincreasing. This requires a properroad traffic planning for intercityroads and national highways inRajasthan. (DNA, 21.10.15)

Bureaucrats Not to Inaugarate EventsOwing to repeated complaints

against bureaucrats allegedlyundermining the authority of publicrepresentatives, the Rajasthangovernment has issued strictinstructions to bureaucrats not toinaugurate public works or even weargarlands on such occasions and tolet public representatives do the same.

In a circular issued, ChiefSecretary, Government of Rajasthan,C S Rajan said that in governmentprogrammes, campaigns, inaugurationof public buildings and other suchevents, bureaucrats should not weara Mala (garland).

Instead, the bureaucrats shouldensure that such inaugurations arecarried out by public representatives.

(IE, 09.10.15)

Replicating Jodhpur�s ModelImpressed with the initiatives

taken by the Jodhpur MunicipalCorporation (JMC) towardscleanliness, Rajasthan�s Social Justiceand Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedisaid that Jodhpur is the only city inthe state, which has taken up the taskof cleanliness on its own level bycoming up with the concept of �SmartColony-Smart Ward�.

This model of JMC would bereplicated in the entire state,according to Chaturvedi. He added

that the government alone cannot doanything significant unless there waspublic contribution in the initiativestaken by the government.

(ToI, 03.10.15)

PNB�s Women Special BranchPunjab National Bank�s (PNB�s)

Managing Director and ChiefExecutive Officer UshaAnanthasubramanian inaugurated thelender�s first special women branchin Rajasthan at Vidhyadhar Nagar inJaipur. The PNB chief also made e-inauguration of 51 outlets in the state.

On the occasion, she called uponwomen to save money in banks, sothat they could talk of their economicprogress. Women should stand up insaving money, and for this PNB hasinitiated the move in the pink city, shesaid.

During the event, altogether 101Mudra Loan worth M1.51 crore wasapproved and distributed. (BS, 26.11.15)

Pvt Ambulance at Govt. RatesThe private ambulances will now

operate at fixed government rates.Sanjeev Gupta, programmecoordinator, said that the rates havebeen fixed by the transportdepartment. He also stated that thefixed rates will prevent instances ofovercharging from the patients forambulance services.

The rates will remain the samethroughout the day as well as at night.Moreover, toll tax will not be collectedfrom the patient. The rate list will bedisplayed at the private hospitals andalso on the private ambulances.

(DNA, 15.10.15)

Self-Reliance Scheme With an objective to make the

best use of water accumulated fromvarious resources locally, RajasthanGovernment will launch JalSwavlamban Yojana, a self-reliancewater scheme soon.

The scheme aims to utilise thewater that comes in the state fromvarious water resources and is thenstored in the state for consumptionof the population. Moreover, thescheme would make the state self-reliable with the help of the localwater resources.

A budget of M1500 crore has beensanctioned for the scheme, theMinister said that support andcooperation from all sectors, includingthe corporates, would be sought toensure its successful implementation.

(ET, 17.12.15)

Helping the HomelesssIn order to provide shelter to the

homeless poor in Jaipur, the JaipurMunicipal Corporation (JMC) isplanning to set up night shelters andrefugee centres in all the 91 wards.Based on the availability of the land, atemporary or permanent Centre forhomeless will be established in thewards of the city.

The JMC engineers have also beenordered to prepare a plan as soon asthe proposal for setting up suchcentres is received, Besides, every year,the civic body installs temporary nightshelters for helpless poor who areforced to spend nights on roads.

(DNA, 16.11.15)

Smart City PlansRajasthan has

become the firstState in thecountry to submitsmart city plans forthree selectedcities to the UnionGovernment. In this regard, the stategovernment has submitted smart cityproposals of Udaipur, Kota and Ajmerto the Union Ministry of UrbanDevelopment.

Under the proposal, theinvestment outlays proposed by thestate government for developing thesethree cities as smart cities are Kota:M1,493 crore, Ajmer: M1,300 croreand Udaipur : M1,221 crorerespectively.

Besides, the state government isalso forwarding smart city proposal forJaipur with an investment proposedM2,403 crore prior to December 15,2015 deadline. (ToI, 14.12.15)

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Funds from the CentreAfter the visit of Union Urban Development Minister

M Venkaiah Naidu, the state government is expectingfinancial assistance from Centre soon for the Jaipur MetroPhase-I (B) project.

The government will sign a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) for the joint venture. An official saidthat the Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) is looking atgetting some financial assistance from the centralgovernment in the form of equity for the Metro Phase I (B).

As part of the joint venture, the Centre is expected tofund 20 percent of the project in the form of equity. �Thecentral government will provide M627 crore in the formof equity. As per the norms, the Centre will have a20 percent stake in the project�, said a JMRC official. TheCentral assistance would be useful for operations andmaintenance. (ToI, 23.10.15)

Best Mass Transit AwardAdding another feather

to its cap, the Jaipur Metrobagged the title of �BestUrban Mass Transit Project�.The Union Minister of Statefor Urban DevelopmentBabul Supriyo presented theaward to the Jaipur Metroteam in New Delhi.

N C Goel, ChiefManaging Director, JMRCinformed that as the projectwas completed in four yearsand a quarter, the Jaipur Metro is one of the fastestimplemented projects in the Metro sector. Besides this,the land acquisition process for the project also took placesmoothly, Goel added.

The prize is awarded as the project is designed andplanned to connect various modes of transport on theroute. In terms of planning Jaipur Metro, it is set to becomea good example of multimodal integration. (ToI, 28.11.15)

All Women StaffThe Shyam Nagar Metro Station is a first of its kind.

From running the operations of the Metro to supervisingcustomers and passengers at the station, taking care ofthe upkeep and cleanliness at the station, everything ishandled by women staff.

�The entire staff here is female. It is easy to work andcoordinate with them�I have faced no problems at all�,said Neha Budhwar, the station supervisor at Shyam NagarMetro Station.

Among the 23 drivers that the Jaipur Metro has, sixare women. �I feel great that I am able to do somethingdifferent�, said Monika Mittal, a Metro engine driver. ForJaipur Metro, this is not merely a coincidence. They havemade it a policy to hire as many women as possible as atpresent, 30 percent of its staff are women. (DNA, 24.11.15)

Shifting of TemplesThe seven temples causing hindrance in the

construction of Jaipur Metro in Walled City area wouldbe shifted soon. The administration and RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have shown mutual consentto shift the temples on a land situated behind ManakChowk.

The protesters have also raised the demand toconstruct temple structures before demolishing them.The decision has been taken as there is no scope forchange in the route of Metro project. Sources in theMetro department said, �Out of seven temples, fourwould be recconstructed at the old place followingthe completion of metro station�.

After facing RSS�s wrath, since long the JMRCofficials were in a fix how to go ahead with Metro�sconstruction work without demolishing the remainingtemples at Badi Chaupar. (ToI, 16.11.15)

Hope for Phase IIThe JMRC has received

positive response from KoreaRail Network Authority(KRNA), which is among thesix companies who wereinvited to construct JaipurMetro Phase II under public-private partnership (PPP)model.

After examining thedetailed project report, theKRNA has submitted the

study. It is considered to be at preliminary stage andcould not be considered as go ahead signal from theforeign firm. However, it is a positive sign as otherparticipants have entirely backed out.

The estimated cost for Phase II is M10,000 croreand it has been proposed that the state government willprovide 40 percent as viability gap funding to the awardedcompany. The remaining 60 percent, will be borne bythe state government and the company. (ToI, 27.11.15)

No Hike in Metro FaresIn a bid to encourage more commuters to travel

by Metro, the JMRC has decided not to increase thefares for the following three months.

The decision was taken in the 25th board meetingthat fares will be revised in a meeting scheduled onMarch 31, 2016. Earlier, it was proposed to increasethe fares every six months, however, after witnessingthe low ridership, the JMRC is apprehensive ofincreasing the fares.

A senior official informed, �Jaipur Metro is still thecheapest mode of transportation in terms of fares. Thefares would remain same and minimum fare for plyingin Metro would be M5 while maximum fare has beenfixed at M15 by the JMRC�. (ToI, 23.12.15)

Metro Updates

CityMattersCityMattersCityMattersCityMattersCityMatters is a quarterly newsletter published by Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), D-217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302016, India,Phone: 91.141.2282821, Fax: 91.141.2282485 Email: cuts@cuts.org, Web site: www.cuts-international.org, and printed by Jaipur Printers P. Ltd., Jaipur, India.

CUTS offices also at Kolkata, Chittorgarh and New Delhi (India); Lusaka (Zambia); Nairobi (Kenya); Accra (Ghana); Hanoi (Vietnam); and Geneva (Switzerland).

Sources: BL: The Hindu Business Line; BS: Business Standard; DNA: Daily News and Analysis;ET: The Economic Times; IE: The Indian Express; OC: Oddity Central; TH: The Hindu; ToI: Times of India

OpinionOpinionOpinionOpinionOpinion

With the need to accommodate rapid urbanisation ofthe age, development of smart cities has emerged as

the need of the hour. Cities, contributing to nearly 70 percentof the country�s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), are presentlyin want of adequate and sustainable housing, sanitation andinfrastructure to ensure an improved quality of life. Drawingon the global immediacy, the Union Government of India hasembarked on a mission for developing 100 smart cities in thecountry.

For this, the respective state governments have gearedup to help the Centre realise its goal. Rajasthan has set anexample through earnest involvement in the Centre�sinitiatives, such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities, AtalMission of Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT),Housing for All and Heritage City Development andAugmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for better governance andensuring quality life for the residents. This was stated byRajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the inauguralsession of Municipalika 2015, the 13th International Conferenceand Exhibition on Sustainable Habitat and Smart Cities, inJaipur, which took place from December 09-11, 2015.

The three day event welcomed over 1,600 delegates fromall over India and abroad, that had as its participants a largenumber of urban and housing sector officials comprisingrepresentatives of 176 local bodies, 40 Mayors andChairpersons and Municipal Commissioners, Secretaries from24 states and 300 cities, over 500 Municipal Counsellors,international delegates from seven countries, private industryand professionals. Along with national and state-levelgovernment participation, the programme witnessed activesupport from UN-Habitat, United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) as well as many other national andinternational urban stakeholder institutions.

Vasundhara Raje made a fervent appeal to the people atlarge to extend their active support to the government inbuilding clean, liveable, sustainable and smart cities. She urgedthe citizens and mayors and representatives of the local

Municipalika 2015 Echoes Integrated Approach towardsSustainable and Smart Living

municipal bodies to motivate their fellow men for workinghand in hand to materialise the vision for smart living. Shealso said that the state government has taken a decision tosignificantly bring down the carbon footprint cutting across,such as tree plantation, water conservation and recycling. Inthis context, all 33 districts of the state will be competing inreducing the carbon footprints.

With regard to mass migration of the rural population tothe cities, Minister of Urban Development and Housing,Government of Rajasthan, Rajpal Singh Shekhawat stated thatthe Mukhyamantri Jan Awaas Yojana has been launched. Heannounced that the state would get an investment of M40,000crore in the urban sector alone.

The Economic Adviser to the Ministry of UrbanDevelopment, Government of India, K V Pratap praised therole of the state in building smart cities. He further added thatfor the cities, to be clean and sustainable, smart solutions wererequired and core infrastructure needs to be bolstered.

V Suresh, the Convenor of Municipalika and Advisor ofGood Governance India Foundation opined that in additionto the policy support from the government, the Swachh BharatMission can be successful only with complete participativeinvolvement of the citizens. There is need for making toilets forall, linked with water for all, as an integrated approach. SmartCities and AMRUT cities should be developed with integratedand holistic approach to bring in smart elements and servicedelivery for the city development. Efficient water managementsystem including waste water recycling has to be introducedcompulsorily.

Undoubtedly, Municipalika 2015 will leverage the hugeopportunities in the state, in the area of housing and urbaninfrastructure, sustainable built environment and good urbangovernance, and will be a platform to showcase the challengesand opportunities arising out of the recent developments inlocal and urban governance issues.

(This article has been abridged from http://municipalika.com/09-11.12.15)