Puri pitches for sustainable urban growth strategy

Describing cities as "engines of economic growth", Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today pitched for a sustainable urban growth strategy in line with environmental priorities.
Puri said India had made far-reaching commitments towards the larger welfare of the planet in the COP 21 Summit, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.
"We committed to reducing the emission intensity of our GDP by 33 per cent by 2030 even while growing at a fast pace," he said while addressing the 'Forum for the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities' organised by the World Bank here.
The minister said just as cities can have negative impacts on the environment if they follow an unplanned style of development, they can equally well create positive impacts if they pursue their growth in a sustainable way.

"What this means for our urban growth strategy is that cities, the engines of our economic growth, must grow rapidly and productively, albeit through a growth model that is sustainable and in line with our national environmental priorities," he said.
Stressing that India has chosen to "embrace urbanisation as an opportunity", he said the nation is committed to pursue the path towards sustainable and inclusive development of its cities.

In order to achieve the vision of inclusive urbanisation, ensuring equitable access to basic services to all citizens, he said the government has introduced various schemes such as 'Housing for All' and 'Smart Cities'.

India will meet the physical targets of constructing the required number of toilets, he said, advocating changes in mindset and lifestyle to make the Swacch Bharat Mission a success.
Underling that India is investing a huge amount in urban sector and the requirement are much larger, he said significant investments have to come from the private sector in India as well international investors and financial institutions.
For this, he said the government was "working tirelessly to develop ease-of-doing business' frameworks so that investors can find a risk-free and speedy opportunities.