US-India Business Council hosts Smart Cities Conclave for Ajmer

Building upon the US-India Business Council’s successful Smart Cities Conclave in January 2015 for Vishakhapatnam, USIBC and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on Friday held a Smart Cities Conclave for Ajmer  with senior representatives from the Government of Rajasthan and the US Government.

The conclave included participation from major US and Indian companies such as United Technologies Corporation (UTC), IBM, Vermeer Corporation, Viacom 18, L&T Construction, Corning, AECOM, CH2MHill, Oracle, Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, Mahindra Group and Black & Veatch to create a roadmap and advance the goal of developing Ajmer into a Smart City as articulated in the joint statement between President Obama and Prime Minister Modi in September 2014.

As part of the discussions, USIBC member companies laid out the vision for some major pilot projects that will provide much needed impetus to the Smart Ajmer initiative. UTC offered details of a pilot project that will enhance public protection with use of enhanced surveillance technology. IBM will target a pilot project directed towards water management.

USIBC Executive Vice-President Diane Farrell said, “The vision laid out by the Ajmer leadership for their city today now allows companies to establish partnerships with a goal towards successful collaborations. The Council and its members are excited to drive the initiative forward and advance Ajmer as a model for India’s 100 smart cities plan”.

The event included presentations and remarks by Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Rajasthan Minister for Urban Development and Housing; Dharmendra Bhatnagar, Divisional Commissioner, Ajmer Development Authority; Arbind Prasad, Director General, Ficci and John McCaslin, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Mehnaz Ansari, Country Representative, US Trade and Development Authority (USTDA) and Vinay Singh, Senior Advisor for Global Markets, US Department of Commerce.