2 min readChandigarhJan 25, 2016 03:25 AM IST
First published on: Jan 25, 2016 at 02:00 AM IST
Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday. (AP Photo)
The Chandigarh Administration on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with France for development of Chandigarh as a smart city.
The MoU was signed at the Indo-French summit organised by CII at Hotel Taj with Agence Francaise Development (AFD), a French government agency on technical cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development, for development of smart city in Chandigarh.
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The French government will provide technical assistance on urban development. Urban development experts from the French public sector will be based in the city. Experts in the fields of urban transport, water and waste treatment, solar energy, urban planning, architecture and heritage will assist the city with their smart city development plans.
The agency will assist the administration in the creation and structuring of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) and capacity building for financial management.
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Chandigarh is competing for making to the list of first 20 cities to be picked by the Ministry of Urban Development for funding in 2016-17 under the smart city project.
If Chandigarh fails to make it to the first round, the French government has assured technical support to restructure the proposal based on the Central government’s assessment of the first submission.
Last year, France had committed to helping three Indian cities — Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry — in being developed into smart cities.
Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday. (AP Photo)
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