Delhi Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma Calls for Women’s Larger Participation in Beautifying Smart Cities

New Delhi, June 28, 2025: Observing the evolution in the infrastructure space, Delhi PWD and water minister Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma said at the 4th NAREDCO Mahi Convention that “beautification is key for developing smart cities in the country”.

The annual convention was themed on ‘Rise & Build: Women Transforming Real Estate for a Sustainable Tomorrow’. MAHI, established in 2021, was developed by National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) with an vision to empower women entrepreneurs and encouraging participation of women in the real estate sector and allied fields.

“I want to look at what we can together do for Delhi. The Delhi government is also working on developing a Yamuna riverfront to do more in that project. Beautiful cities would be a key part of smart cities, and I think women and NAREDCO MAHI can play a key in achieving beautification of our cities,” Verma said.

D Thara, Additional secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, emphasised the need for looking beyond developing the buildings and housing complexes and aim for integrated infrastructure management in order to achieve a sustainable habitat.

Thara stressed the need for sustainable measures in real estate development and emphasise the potential role of women in sustainable growth.

“There is need to transcend beyond housing and focus on associated sectors like water supply and green space. Its high to move from real estate to integrated infrastructure management,” she said.

In a bid to mitigate floods, she suggested that along with green spaces, developers should come up with “green tanks” to fill excess water, which would also help in water conservation.

Highlighting the expansion of NAREDCO MAHI and the growing participation of women in the sector, Smita Patil, President, MAHI, said that the future of housing must be built with policy, shaped by industry and guided by inclusive values—especially empowering women and emerging leaders.

“Under our initiative Saswat Nirman, we are focusing on sustainable real estate development. It aims to integrate environmentally friendly construction practices, energy efficiency and green building principles into the real estate sector in India. We are committed to being a bridge—supporting women in the sector, nurturing young talent and working in sync with the government for a stronger urban India.”

Highlighting the need for women to join the growing real estate space, Niranjan Hiranandani, Chairman, NAREDCO, said that skilling would be the key pivot towards women-led real estate sector.

“Real estate is the second largest employer in India. However, it is short of skilled workers, which if filled by skilled women, would not only lead to employment generation and women empowerment but would give a boost to economic growth and help achieve the vision of tripling the size of the economy.”

Observing that homes loans have the lowest non-performing assets globally, he said that the feat has been achieved on the back of the economic deftness of women in households. “There is a big role played by women,” he said.

Noting that a lot needs to be done on women empowerment and having women stakeholders in key positions, Hari Babu, President, NAREDCO, said that there are immense opportunities that can be leveraged. “Grab it. If you don’t grab it, nobody will give it to you.”

The daylong event also had sessions on subjects like ‘Women of Substance, Journey Accomplishments’, ‘RERA: Successes, Challenges and The Road Ahead’ and ‘Indian Real Estate: Pivoting to a $1 Trillion Market’ with participation from key stakeholders and policymakers across the country.