The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India under the clarion call of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by Hon’ble Prime Minister to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence, is organising “Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization” event from 18-20 April next in Surat, Gujarat.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations were inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2021 which marked a 75-week countdown to the 75th Anniversary of our independence in August 2022 and will continue a year thereafter.

The Surat event will highlight some of the important initiatives being implemented in 100 Smart Cities across the country. Focused on five sub-themes vis. Reimagining Public Spaces, Digital Governance, Climate Smart Cities, Innovation and Smart Finance, the conference will help disseminate the learnings from Smart Cities to other cities and towns of the country.

The activities displaying ‘whole of government’ approach, people’s participation, our rich cultural heritage, innovations and future aspirations commemorating the 75th year of independence will be showcased during the event.

The MoHUA will be felicitating the winning cities of India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020.

Awards will also be given to the winners of some of the pre-event activities that were undertaken from 1st -31st January, 2022 as a pre-cursor to this mega event being held in Surat, including inter alia Open Data Week, Urban Geo-spatial Data Stories Challenge, Placemaking Marathon, Freedom to Walk and Cycle, and ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 winners.

Several key initiatives will be launched during the event vis. release of Urban Outcomes Framework 2022 including, ‘Ease of Living’, ‘Municipal Performance Index’, ‘Data Maturity Assessment Framework 3.0 and Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 3.0.

The Ministry’s integrated data portal AMPLIFI, which will provide valuable data on Indian cities will also get launched. In addition, a comprehensive dashboard on Outcome Output Management Framework (OOMF dashboard in GMIS) with more than 7800 projects being measured for their contributions to urban life and Sustainable Development Goals, will also be released during the event.

A significant attraction at the event will be placemaking at the venue, which will replicate a model neighbourhood that cities can aspire for.