New Delhi
The Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri presented Smart Solutions Challenge & Inclusive Cities Awards 2022, here. These awards are an initiative of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the United Nations (UN) in India to address city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges faced by persons with disabilities (PwD), women and girls, and the elderly. The UN Resident Coordinator in India, Mr Shombi Sharp, the Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Smart City Mission, MoHUA, Shri Kunal Kumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.Shri Puri said I am thoroughly impressed at the creative capacity of the innovative solutions as well as their potential to change lives of persons with disabilities, women & older persons. The best solutions are always simple, cater to specific pain points, have clear benefits, and are widely accepted by users. These solutions will be instrumental in integrating universal design, which will help achieve SDG target 11.7- to provide safe, inclusive & accessible, green & public spaces for all vulnerable communities.The Minister said that India expanded the list of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21 after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016. This implies that a significantly higher number of people live with some form of disability in India than earlier estimated, he added.Shri Puri said that Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reflect the philosophy that the Modi govt had already put in place the SDG-2030 implemented by the UN. We are moving from Sarvodaya to Antyodaya – leaving no one behind or putting farthest first, he said. The success of SDG will come because they have succeeded in India. For the success of SDG, it is important that India performs well on these goals, he added.
