Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Monday met a business delegation from the U.K. that advocated setting up hospitals in Indian smart cities.
In the backdrop of the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart David Cameron in London November last, the delegation expressed their interest in investing in healthcare infrastructure that Smart City projects aspire to build. Mr. Modi and Mr. Cameroon had agreed to support opening of 11 Indo-UK Institutes of Health in India with an investment of £1 billion.
Later in the day, Mr. Naidu met another delegation of U.S. businessmen and assured them that Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), one of the key administrative bodies for Smart Cities, would be given ample powers to ensure timely execution of smart development projects.
Mr. Naidu also highlighted that urban local bodies of 20 cities recently selected in the first round of Smart City competition have certified that SPVs will play a “crucial role in successful implementation of Smart City plans.”
A 20-member US Business delegation led by Bruce Andrews, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Commerce listened to Mr. Naidu and then praised the Smart City project the ministry has undertaken for upgrading the urban infrastructure.
‘Huge opportunities’“India offers tremendous opportunities for American companies. The Smart Cities Trade Mission is keen to learn more about the market and new business opportunities. By creating a forum to explore avenues for collaboration, the mission fosters commercial engagement between the two countries,” said Mr. Andrews, according to the Urban Development Ministry spokesperson.
