Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh attends National Urban Convention at Delhi

New Delhi [India] September 26 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh participated in the National Urban Convention organised by the Praja Foundation in New Delhi on Thursday.

Urban Governance Index 2024 was also launched on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Vikramaditya Singh said that about ten per cent of the population in Himachal Pradesh resides in urban areas and the state government strives to transform them into vibrant and developed urban centres in the coming times. He said that Dharamsala and Shimla are coming up as smart cities.

He said that the state government took an initiative to implement Urban Platform for Delivery of Online Governance ( UPYOG ) under the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM). The initiative aims to revolutionise the citizen experience of municipal public services by offering integrated end-to-end solutions through a comprehensive state-wide service delivery infrastructure. He said that this will provide a range of government services and information to citizens through a single digital platform for all 60 urban local bodies (One State One Portal) besides improving efficiency, transparency and accessibility of government services.

He also underlined the need for international air connectivity and strengthening railway network in the state for fast urbanization and added that the state has build strong road network. He also spoke about the initiatives being taken by the present state government under the leadership of CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu especially for green hydrogen.

M. B. Rajesh, Minister of Local Self Government Kerala, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Founder and General Secretary, Foundation for Democratic Reforms also spoke on strengthening Municipal Governance.

Senior officers from concerned Ministries, NITI Aayog, and representatives from NGOs attended the event.