Capital among World’s Top 50 Smart City Govts

Bhubaneswar: The state Capital, the number one Smart City of the country, has added yet another feather in its cap by securing 32nd position among the Top 50 Smart City Governments in the World, according to a study conducted by Singapore-based Eden Strategy Institute.
The study says Bhubaneswar is placed at the 32nd position along with Ahmedabad. Other Indian cities listed in it are: Pune third, New Delhi 23rd, Surat 27th and Jaipur 34th. It says London topped the list while Singapore is at the second position and Seoul at third. The ranking reveals the roles that the city governments play in Smart City initiatives.
The cities have been adjudged on the basis of 10 criteria: clarity of vision, leadership, budget, provision of financial incentives, support programmes, talent-readiness, people-centric approach, development of an innovation ecosystem, implementation of smart policies and track record of previous initiatives and projects.
The results were declared after conducting interviews with city officials so as to validate facts, measure outcomes and learn about the unique challenges and pathways taken by the cities.
Earlier in March, Bhubaneswar had ranked 13th in the list of Top 20 safe cities of the world as per Global Smart City Performance Index-2017 by Juniper Research.
The safety index was measured in terms of crime levels, mortality and law enforcement services’ efforts to combat these challenges. It was also ranked 20th in the other three categories – mobility, health and productivity. Bhubaneswar was the only city in India to have been featured in the list.