Hardeep S Puri, MoS (I/C), Housing and Urban Affairs launched the EatSmart Cities Challenge and Transport 4 All Challenge at an online event today. Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA was present in the event. Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI joined the event virtually. Kunal Kumar, JS, MoHUA and other officers of the Central and State Governments attended the event virtually.
Speaking about EatSmart Cities challenge, Puri said “It is a matter of pride that today, we see the Eat Right India approach getting scaled up to the smart cities level with the launch of EatSmart Cities Challenge. This movement will nudge the urban populace to make the right food choices and help build a healthier and happier nation. This will complement the remarkable work being done in the Smart Cities Mission”. Launching the Transport 4 All Challenge, the minister said that COVID-19 has brought the entire world to a halt with transport being one of the worst-hit sectors. He added that the Transport4All Digital Innovation Challenge will support cities to recover from this mobility crisis.
The EatSmart Cities Challenge aims to motivate Smart Cities to develop a plan that supports a healthy, safe and sustainable food environment supported by institutional, physical, social, and economic infrastructure along with the application of ‘smart’ solutions to combat food related issues. The Transport4All Digital Innovation Challenge aims to develop digital solutions that will make public transport safe, affordable, comfortable, and reliable for all.
Durga Shanker Mishra said that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is very happy to launch the Transport4All Digital Innovation Challenge to support the cities and start-ups all over the country to move towards digital transformation in urban mobility. Further he said that EatSmart Cities Challenge is an opportunity for India to play a pioneering role in developing the concept of integrating food systems into city planning and development to provide people with healthy, safe, and nourishing diets.
EatSmart Cities Challenge
The ‘Eat Right India’ movement initiated by FSSAI under the aegis of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has gone a long way in creating awareness amongst the people about eating safe, healthy and sustainably. The launch event of EatSmart Cities Challenge today was organized in association with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
ArunSinghal, CEO, FSSAI said that Eat Smart Cities Challenge will have a positive impact on the lives of urban population by motivating them to eat right. He added that it will be a game changer in creating social and behavioural change towards food safety, hygiene and nutrition.
The EatSmart Cities Challenge is envisioned as a competition among cities to recognize their efforts in adopting and scaling up various initiatives under Eat Right India. This unique challenge, in partnership with Smart Cities Mission will create an environment of right food practices and habits, strengthen the food safety and regulatory environment, build awareness among the consumers and urge them to make better food choices in India’s major cities and can set an example for other cities to follow. The challenge is open to all Smart Cities, capital cities of States /UTs, and cities with a population of more than 5 lakh. At the end of first phase of the challenge, 11 cities will be selected for deeper engagement for an extended period to implement their vision. (https://eatrightindia.gov.in/eatsmartcity)
Transport 4 All (T4All) Challenge
Indian cities have the golden opportunity to invest in public transport as a social good, completely revamp informal transit services, and prioritise digital innovation to improve user experience. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Transport 4 All challenge in collaboration with ITDP. The Challenge aims to bring together cities, citizen groups, and start-ups to develop solutions that improve public transport to better serve the needs of all citizens.
At the core of the Challenge are citizens who will not only define the problems for which solutions shall be created but also help start-ups and cities to refine the solutions to meet their needs. The first edition of the Challenge focuses on digital innovation. Cities and start-ups will receive guidance to develop and test various solutions, learn from them, and scale them to build people’s trust in public transport and enhance their mobility. The solutions will make public transport—formal as well as informal— safe, convenient, and affordable for all. All the Smart Cities Mission cities, capitals of states and union territories (UTs), and all cities with a population of over 5 lakhs—are eligible for the Challenge.
Three Stages of the Challenge
The Transport4All through Digital Innovation Challenge comprises three stages:
● Stage I PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: Cities, with the support of NGOs, identify key recurring problems that citizens and public transport operators face
● Stage II SOLUTION GENERATION: Start-ups develop prototypes of solutions to improve public transport with inputs from cities and NGOs
● Stage III PILOT TESTING: Cities engage start-ups for large-scale pilots and refine the solutions based on citizen feedback
Cities, as part of the challenge shall form a Transport4All Task Force (TTF) consisting of key stakeholders vis. Municipal Corporation, Smart City SPV, city bus undertaking, metro and suburban rail, regional transport office, traffic police, road owning agencies, Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) unions, NGOs, and academic institutes working in the field of sustainable transport. (www.transport4all.in)
An update on the Smart Cities Mission
Over the last year, the Mission has seen accelerated project implementation with Smart Cities focusing on grounding and completion of projects. Of the total committed investments of ₹2,05,018 crore as per approved Smart Cities Plans, as on 9 April 2021, over 5,600 projects worth around ₹1,73,600 crores (85% of total), have been tendered; of which work orders have been issued for close to 4,900 projects worth ₹1,40,500 crore (69% of total). 2,426 projects worth around ₹40,263 crores (20% of total), have been fully completed and are operational. There has been 247% growth in tendering, 353% growth in projects grounded/completed and 663% growth in projects completed, in the last 30 months.
The Urban Learning and Internship Program (TULIP) aims to match opportunities in ULBs with learning needs of fresh graduates. Over 280 ULBs have posted over 15,823 internships; so far, 919 students are undergoing internships, and 376 students have completed their internships.
The mission has targeted to setup ICCCs in 100 Smart Cities by 2022. DataSmart Cities Strategy will be scaled up in 500 Cities by the end of the Mission. Open Data Platform / India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX) shall be enabled in 500 cities under the program. To enable cities self-assess their data readiness, the second iteration of the Data Maturity Assessment Framework, aligned with the DataSmart Cities Strategy is currently underway in Smart Cities.
