India, UK sign MoU on Urban Development

With an aim to boost the infrastructure sector, the Govt of India signed a MoU on urban regeneration and development. Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Dr. Vince Cable, the British Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills signed the MoU on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Nath expressed appreciation of the urban regeneration works carried out in London and felt that India could benefit from the British experience. The Minister also highlighted the immense challenges and opportunities in the urban sector in India. He informed that India would soon launch the next phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and that the Government of India is keen to encourage PPP in urban sector especially in larger cities. He invited the international firms including British firms to participate in the process.
The Minister stated that both India and Britain would benefit from the MoU, as it would provide an enabling platform for the officials, professionals and business leaders to meet and share knowledge and best practices in the urban sector. He expressed the hope that this joint declaration would lead to enhanced cooperation and deepen the engagement between the two countries.
The MoU envisages promotion of cooperation in the areas of sustainable master planning; transport planning; land economics; heritage management; regeneration governance; Regeneration capacity building and public private partnership financing arrangements.
Mr. Nath also participated in a business roundtable organised by the UK India Business Council which was attended by leading infrastructure companies such as Aecom, Arup, Balfour Beatty Plc, HOK, JCB, Mott MacDonald etc.
 

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