With the foreign ministers of France and Singapore in town, India on pursued their expertise in the expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project of 100 “smart cities”. As French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met Modi, the PM, while recalling that France had provided technical support for the Ahmedabad Heritage project, told him that India plans to build heritage cities and 100 new smart cities.
In this regard, he noted France’s expertise in the area, according to a statement from the PMO. Recalling the planned and friendly ties between the two countries, Modi pursued French cooperation in the field of urban planning and heritage conservation. Singapore Foreign Minister K Shanmugam, who met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, also offered to help with Modi’s dream project of building 100 smart cities along the key infrastructure projects such as Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, involving setting up of seven Greenfield Smart Cities between Delhi and Mumbai with three Smart Cities at Dholera, Shendra-Bidkin and Global City to be built by 2019.
Collaboration with Singapore for smart cities is intended at refining IT in management of cities, use of new technology for sewerage treatment, comprising solid waste management, energy use of urban planning norms. Smart cities concept followed in Singapore include smart concept for generating energy savings up to 30 per cent and sinking carbon releases and Smart Energy Grids for electricity demand and supply to interact intelligently. Smart cities are probable to develop economic competence, provide better quality of life and promote sustainable urban development.
Fabius, in his meeting with Modi, also extended President Francois Hollande’s invitation to visit France. Calling his meeting with Modi as “warm”, Fabius said he had “positive” talks with the PM on matters of urban planning, tourism and low-cost defence manufacturing.
Asked if he raised the multi-billion Rafale deal with Modi, he did not give a direct answer but said it was acknowledged that defence was a very significant area of cooperation in the two-sided relationship. “The next step is for the French firm Dassault and for the Indian government to discuss the details which have not yet been discussed and with any luck reach a conclusion…. For us the early the better…,” he said.
Shanmugam, who is also Singapore’s Law Minister, elucidated that the recent riots in that country were not a result of cultural or migrant-related tension but were an aberration “fuelled by alcohol”. He also said, “Workers who come to Singapore make a free choice. They rank Singapore right at the top of the countries they could go to. They also have a choice of staying in India.”
Shanmugam is set to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during his visit but doesn’t expect the riots “to be made a political issue”. He stressed that “a survey shows 95 per cent of workers have no complaints” and that foreign workers commit less crimes than locals because they know they will be “identified, impeached and sent home” if they do.
Earlier, Shanmugam met Swaraj to appraisal the bilateral relationship. He highlighted private sector-led collaboration on urban planning and management. Shanmugam also mentioned skill development and tourism as other potential areas for collaboration “within the framework of a strategic partnership”. Shanmugam is slated to meet the PM, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
Ankit Sharma is the creator of UPTU Khabar, which was founded long back in 2011. He has recently co-founded a new venture called Editsoft Digital and UPTU Khabar has been moved under the banner of Editsoft Digital.
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