‘Sustainable All-Round Development Is The Only Way Forward’: Venkaiah Naidu At IIR-2023

Sustainable all-round development is the only way forward as Bharat moves rapidly along the path of accelerated development, said the former vice-president of India M Venkaiah Naidu, while speaking on the occasion of the virtual release of the India Infrastructure Report (IIR 2023).

The India Infrastructure Report 2023 on Urban Planning and Development was released on 4 December 2023 by Naidu along with Amitabh Pant, G-20 Sherpa of India and former CEO, NITI Aayog.

Naidu remarked that urban planning is an essential component of nation-building and an integral element in growth.

He pointed out that the report covered a wide range of various complex issues related to urban planning and development.

Naidu added, “Importantly, it also provides solutions to make Indian cities sustainable. As all of us know sustainability is not just a buzzword, it is the need of the hour if we are to save this planet from complete destruction,” he said.

The India Infrastructure Report 2023 has been a collaborative effort of the IDFC Foundation, Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Limited (iDeCK) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The report is a significant milestone in the acclaimed IIR series, initiated by the IDFC Foundation in 2001.

A feature of the report, which merited the attention of planners and policy-makers, is the road map laid out in it on how to improve the existing cities through urban redevelopment, Naidu said.

Speaking from his own experience as former union minister for urban development, Naidu recalled that previous IIRs had always been sources of great information and that our planners and decision makers had always found them to be extremely useful. “IIRs have played a key role in our national development,“ he added.

Naidu observed that the IIR 2023 will also give a fillip to the inclusive socio-economic development in the state and help in the all-round development of the nation. “Importantly, it will further aid in powering growth and help Bharat to become one of the top three largest economies in the world,” he added.

India Infrastructure Report 2023 contains 25 chapters by prominent names in the urban development and policy ecosystem on the current state of urban development in India.

Key Highlights of the India Infrastructure Report 2023:

— Spotlight on the transformative potential of digital technology in shaping the urban landscape of India. Focus areas include the concept of ‘smart cities’ and the significance of performance ranking criteria.

— Examination of financial dimensions of urban development, with a special emphasis on public-private partnerships, the financial sustainability of urban local bodies, and the efficacy of municipal bonds as potent financing instruments.

— Urban transportation planning and urban redevelopment as pivotal components of effective urban governance through transit-oriented development, efficient urban goods movement, and floor space and land price regulation in India.