Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri today underlined the need to support people working in the construction sector though training and skill upgradation.
The minister of state for housing and urban affairs said a strong transport system is crucial to building smart cities.
He was addressing a multi-stakeholder meet to strategise a roadmap for environmentally-sustainable urban development. The meet was organised as part of the ongoing thematic sessions in the run-up to World Environment Day on June 5.
"To truly build smart cities, we need to strengthen the city transport that can support the mass traffic. Further, urban local bodies need to be empowered, and we need a dedicated and trained municipal cadre for the same," he said.
According to an official statement, Puri said India will succeed in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.
TERI director general Ajay Mathur said: "With urban growth impacting the environment significantly, there is a need to create a stable policy framework for development of infrastructure and integrated spatial planning at all levels: national, state and city."