Jaipur: Smart City proposals for Kota and Ajmer have already been sent to the ministry of urban development and there is an expectation that the second list of the 27 cities out of 67 will be announced in the second week of this month, said Manjit Singh, principal secretary, Local Self Government.

Speaking at an event on 'smart and green liveable cities' organized by CII-Rajasthan, Singh said as per the proposals Kota and Ajmer require investments of Rs 1,500 crore and 1,900 crore.

Proposals for Jaipur and Udaipur have already been accepted which envisage investments of Rs 2,400 crore and 1,500 crore, added Singh.

Listing out the initiatives, Singh said the state government has already implemented projects like efficient public street lighting, digitization of land data, Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (MJSA), among others.

Speaking at the same event, Jaipur mayor Nirmal Nahata said that not only better policies relating to smart cities should be formulated and implemented but also they should be economically viable.

"There is a need to make optimum use of manpower to curb the problem of unemployment. The increasing population of the cities is impacting the limited available resources. New schemes, therefore, have to be made keeping this aspect in mind," Nahata said.

He drew attention to how each city has its unique character which needs to be preserved. "The smart city policy framework of Jaipur has been developed keeping in mind that it is a heritage city," added Nahata.

Besides the smart systems, processes and development, the participation of citizens is also believed to be a key driving force in making cities smart.

Prof Jagan Shah of National Institute of Urban Affairs said the state government and the city local bodies along with the citizens have to share the common vision of developing the smart city.

"It is imperative to develop a model of partnership between the local and state government bodies, industries as well as the educational institutions and NGOs for successful development of smart cities," added Shah.The smart cities also need to factor in the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to make cities green and liveable. Sanjay Sridhar regional director for South and West Asia C40, said that global cities are now at building strategies to measure, monitor and reduce GHG across key sectors like transport, water, waste, etc.