India’s changing urban landscape will be the next engine of growth for the Indian economy. According to the Ministry of Urban Development, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), more than 50 per cent of India’s population will be living in urban areas by 2039. With this rapid urbanisation, India is embracing the push to create smart cities.
Simultaneously, Indian cities are aggressively looking to improve their infrastructure, as well as the quality of life for their inhabitants. With rapid urbanization, India’s population by 2050 will rise to 1.6 billion from its current level of 1.2 billion, resulting in many commercial opportunities available in India for businesses to pursue. The government of India is committed to developing 100 smart cities; satellite towns; rejuvenate existing cities & heritage cities, etc., and has allocated Rs. 6,000 crore for FY 2015-16 for the first phase of this development.
Smart Cities India 2015 expo, being organized by Exhibitions India Group (EI) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 20th to 22nd May 2015 is an appropriate platform to catalyze the Prime Minister’s programs on Smart Cities, Swachh Bharat, Made in India, Digital India, Housing for All, and Make in India. The event will focus on Smarter Solutions for a Better Tomorrow.
The three day expo will showcase emerging opportunities for buyers to actively source new and innovative products from India and around the world. Concurrent to the expo, conference sessions will focus on nine verticals including; Smart Governance, Smart Energy, Smart Environment, Smart Transportation, Smart Information Technology & Communications, Smart Buildings, Smart Health and Smart Education. The international expo will attract users, industry buyers, PSUs, central and state government officials, including ministers, secretaries, municipal commissioners, mayors, city planners, architects, builders, etc.
The conference will have 250+ distinguished speakers comprising of the world’s foremost strategists, bureaucrats, policy makers, as well as thought leaders and trend setters. The event will witness 15,000 visitors along with 1,500 delegates over three days.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a leading professional service organisation, providing consultancy, assurance and advisory services is the “Knowledge Partner” for Smart Cities India 2015 expo. PwC will release a “Knowledge Paper” at the inaugural session, and will provide intellectual inputs on the key challenges faced by Indian cities along with highlighting new city governance models for faster development.
Commenting on the association, Rakesh Kaul, Partner, Government and Public Sector, PwC India, said “Conversations around smart cities are increasingly gaining momentum, and we are glad to be spearheading some of the key smart city projects in the country. This association with Exhibitions India Group comes at a time when the government, private sector and citizens alike are looking at balanced growth, with higher standards of living, created in a resource efficient manner. We are confident that platforms like this will help take the dialogue around urbanisation and smart cities to the next level, propelling much needed conversations on policy and technology interventions required to make India's smart city dreams a reality”.
Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Pvt Ltd, said; “We are delighted to have PwC as the Knowledge Partner and our grateful to the Indian ministries for their support. We believe that their combined expertise and inputs will add immense value to this expo, which intends to showcase modular and comprehensive solutions to achieve a truly smart and sustainable city.”
Smart Cities India 2015 has been endorsed by the Ministries of Urban Development; New and Renewable Energy; Environment, Forests & Climate Change; the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion; and the Department of Electronics & Information Technology.
