Support builds up for 13th Municipalika to be held in Jaipur in December,2015

Municipalika 2015 scheduled at Jaipur from December 9 to 11, is fast picking up momentum, with the recent Cabinet approvals and launch of 100 Smart Cities, 500 Cities under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Housing for All and Digital India having given a further fillip to the interest from national and international urban stakeholders for participating in the 13^th Municipalika – the International Conference and Exhibition on Sustainable Habitat and Smart Cities.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje recently gave her formal consent for the support and participation of Government of Rajasthan as Host State. Municipalika is being held at the state-of-the-art Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre. With Government of Rajasthan lending support for the successful execution of the event, it is expected to garner wide participation from all the ULBs and urban parastatals from the State. 

The Local Self Government Department of Government of Rajasthan will be the nodal agency for coordinating all activities and participation as Host State. The Rajasthan Government will be sending invitations to all states and UTs in the country, to the respective urban development, housing, municipal administration and local self government departments, etc. soliciting their participation. It has also written to 25 foreign missions and trade representatives inviting their participation.

Municipalika has always been actively supported by Government of India’s Ministry of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, UN-Habitat as well as other national and international urban stakeholder institutions, since its start in 2003. This time the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, are also supporting and are expected to  focus on their Smart City and e-Governance initiatives.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India has also come on board as a Supporting Organisation for Municipalika 2015 and will focus on initiatives like Solar Cities, roof-top project, waste-to-energy projects, among others. The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation are also supporting Municipalika 2015.

Municipalika 2015 will leverage the huge opportunities in the Host State Rajasthan, in the area of housing and urban infrastructure development. It will also be a platform to showcase the challenges and opportunities arising out of the recent developments.

Early expressions of interest for participation have come in from stakeholders and technology providers from many countries including United Kingdom, Korea, France, Sweden, Germany,

Singapore, United States of America, etc. as well as a large number of institutions operating in the housing and urban infrastructure sectors.

Canada, which was a Partner Country at Municipalika 2014 with 17 participating companies, has again signed up to be Partner Country at Municipalika 2015 and is expecting at least 20 companies in its delegation. Key areas of focus for Canadian companies include: water and waste water, urban planning, architecture and design, and transportation infrastructure including, intelligent transport systems.

“Canadian companies are excited about the emerging opportunities in India’s urban infrastructure and built environment space. Canadian companies have innovative, quality technologies and solutions and are keen to engage with India.  They will be looking for the right projects to apply their skills as well as good Indian partners to help them modernise Indian urban spaces. Infrastructure products and services are one of Canada’s most important industries and Canadian engineers, architects, designers and project managers are known for their ability to carry-out world class projects,” commented Brian Parrott, Minister Commercial for Canada.

For the first time, buyer and end-user delegations are also expected from neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and from South East Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Building on the interest and excitement in the last two years, the Urban Innovation Challenge (UIC) 2015 competition has already been launched to identify the next generation of innovative solutions to systemic challenges in the urban areas, by under-graduate, post-graduate students and young professionals from different disciplines. The theme of the competition this year will be Smart Cities & Green Buildings.

Besides the presence of a large number of senior government officials, ULBs, urban parastatals, utilities, etc. which has been the USP of Municipalika, this year there is a also strong focus on private sector stakeholders like real estate developers and builders, technology providers, consultants, EPC contractors, and professionals like architects, engineers, and urban planners, who are showing keen interest to be part of Municipalika 2015.