Japan to assist in making Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi Smart Cities

NEW DELHI (INDIA): Japan has decided to be associated with the development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi as smart cities. This was today conveyed by Japan?s Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu during his meeting with Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu.nnMr.Hiramatsu further said that Japan is quite interested in urban development initiatives of the Government of India and decided to be a partner.nnResponding to Naidu? observation about the need for speedy action, Japan?s Envoy said ?We would like to match the action oriented approach of the Government under Prime Minister Modi?. Both of them discussed growing cooperation between the two countries further to the last meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries.nnHigh Commissioner of United Kingdom  Dominic  Asquith also met Naidu and discussed converting into action the MoU signed between the two countries during the recent visit of British Prime Minister to India Ms.Teresa May, on cooperation in urban development sector.nnHe said institutionalizing Government to Government cooperation for smart city development has huge potential.nnSo far, leading countries have come forward to be associated with development of 15 smart cities. These include: United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) ?Visakhapatnam, Ajmer and Allahabad, UK-Pune, Amaravati(Andhra Pradesh) and Indore, France-Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagpur and Germany ?Bhubaneswar, Coimbattore and Kochi.