State to get Rs 1,188 crore for Smart City Mission, says Vala

Governor Vajubhai Vala on Thursday said Rs 1,188 crore will be provided under the Centre’s Smart City Mission, covering six cities in the coming financial year in the state.

In his Republic Day address at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground, he said the Smart City Mission envisages providing hassle-free smart solutions at reasonable cost for delivery of services and building infrastructure in six cities of Mangaluru, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Hubballi-Dharwad, Tumakuru and Davangere. An amount of Rs 776 crore has been already released under the mission in the current fiscal year, he added.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is making efforts to find a spot in the mission. It is preparing a fresh proposal to compete in the last and final round likely to be held in March this year. The Centre has planned to develop 100 smart cities in the country with an aim to provide better infrastructure and services to people with smart solutions.

Further, the governor commended the state government for taking  initiatives for the overall development of the state. “Karnataka has achieved commendable milestones in making ‘Swacha Karnataka’ on the lines of ‘Swacha Bharat’. Mysuru has been named the cleanest city in the country and we must feel proud of this feat (sic),” he stated.

He said Karnataka leads in attracting investments. By attracting investments of Rs 1.40 lakh crore between January and September last year, the state has emerged as a role model for other states. Besides, the state continues to be the leader in IT and BT sectors. The government has launched “Karnataka Global Information System” to provide geo spatial information-based governance, he added.

The governor said the initiative by the government to provide counselling to distressed farmers through a 24/7 helpline is a boon to the farming community. The state has established Rastriya e-Market Services to enable farmers to conduct online trading at Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees, he added.
DH News Service