Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said that the country's culture was remarkable in that its thought-leaders never advocated exclusiveness. He said this while addressing the Valedictory Session at the 15th edition of the Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2022 in Kochi.

New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): The Centre will provide Rs 48,000 crore financial support for the development of smart cities in the country, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said on Monday.

Surat Apr 18 PTI Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said 80 of the 100 Smart Cities in the country have Integrated Command and Control Centres and the remaining will get it by August 15 Puri was here to inaugurate the 3-day Smart Cities Smart Urbanization conference organised by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in association with Surat Smart City Corporation Development Ltd as part of the Centres Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Work has started in almost all government-funded projects in the Smart City Mission SCM and projects under SCM will be completed by next year A total of 80 of the 100 Smart Cities have Integrated Command and Control Centres and the remaining 20 will be operational by August 15 this year he said in his inaugural address Smart cities were selected after stakeholder consultations and work on them have been the fastest among government schemes despite the COVID-19 pandemic Puri said adding that the experience gained will help make SCM a peoples movement The Smart Cities Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 and it was designed as part of a multi-layer strategy to meet the aspirations of 40 per cent of Indias population living in cities said a PIB release Of the total investment of Rs 205018 crore under SCM projects worth Rs 93552 crore were proposed to be developed by Centre and state funds and almost 100 per cent of these government funded projects have seen work ordered said the release On the first day of the conference award winners of the India Smart Cities Awards Contest ISAC 2020 were felicitated These awards were earlier announced through a virtual conference in 2021 due to the pandemic Surat and Indore were given the Best City award while Uttar Pradesh was awarded the Best State said the release Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore Union MoS Railways Darshana Jardosh along with principal secretaries of states and Union Territories municipal commissioners MDs and CEOs of 100 Smart Cities Mission Directorates and professionals attended the event said the release During the event several new schemes were also launched including a virtual hub for collaborations on urban transformation in partnership between SCM and the World Economic Forum The hub will leverage emerging technologies and innovations to transform Indian cities into centres of sustainable inclusive and resilient growth said the release PTI COR PJT BNM BNM

New Delhi Mar 21 PTI The new Parliament building project which has its deadline in October has achieved 44 per cent physical progress and the government has so far spent Rs 480 crore on it the Rajya Sabha was informed on MondayThe government has plans to hold the winter session in the new Parliament building this yearIn reply to a written question Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said the government is likely to spend Rs 2285 crore on the entire Central Vista project in the next financial yearAccording to the minister Rs 1423 crore is likely to be spent by the government in the 2021-22 financial yearThe construction of the new vice presidents enclave which includes a residence for the vice president and a secretariat has achieved three per cent physical progress The project was expected to be over in 10 months from the start of the workThe redevelopment project of the Central Vista Avenue stretching from Vijay Chowk to India Gate has met the target of 80 per cent physical progress and Rs 441 crore has been spent on this so far the minister told Rajya SabhaThe construction of three new buildings as part a new common central secretariat has achieved three per cent physical progress and Rs 243 crore has so far been spent on the project according to the ministers replyThe redevelopment project of the Central Vista -- the nations power corridor -- envisages a new triangular Parliament building a common central secretariat revamping of the three-kilometre-long Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate a new prime ministers residence and prime ministers office and a new vice presidents enclaveTata Projects Limited is constructing the new Parliament building while Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited is executing the redevelopment work of the Central Vista AvenueIn October last year Larsen Toubro Limited had been awarded the contract for the construction and maintenance of the first three buildings of the common central secretariatIn November a Jharkhand-based firm Kamladityya Construction Pvt Ltd had been awarded the contract for constructing the vice presidents enclave PTI BUN IJT

New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): The Government of India is all set to celebrate Mahaparinirvan Divas on December 6, as part of the major commemoration of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.