Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 27(ANI): Uttar Pradesh has been ranked 3rd in the country in terms of'Smart Cities'. Besides, Agra has emerged as the third smartest city in the country, and the state has received 10 awards in different categories.

This was revealed at the the-two day India Smart City Conclave 2023 organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at the Brilliant Convention Centre in Indore (MP), which concluded with an award ceremony on Wednesday graced by President Droupadi Murmu, according to a press release by the Chief Minister's office. President Droupadi Murmu presented the'Third Best State Award' to UP. On behalf of the state government, Principal Secretary Urban Development Department, Amrit Abhijat, and Smart City Mission Director, Dharmendra Pratap Singh, received the award.

Notably, a contest was organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in various categories among 100 smart cities in the country last year, in which Agra managed to secure a place in the top three.

It should be noted that, under the direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, efforts to make all municipal corporations not only smart cities but also safe cities are in progress. This includes the establishment of Integrated Command and Control Centres, various IT components, CCTV systems, and the provision of essential facilities and services for women, the elderly, differently-abled individuals, and children. The results of these efforts are becoming evident on the ground, read the press release.

In the ranking of smart cities, two cities from UP, Agra and Varanasi, consistently remain among the top 10 cities, and three cities, Agra, Varanasi, and Kanpur, are consistently in the top 20 cities.

Uttar Pradesh secured third position in the'Best State' category. Agra Smart City clinched the third position nationwide in the 'National Smart City Award' category. Varanasi Smart City secured the first position in the 'City Awards' category among smart cities with a population of over 10 lakh in the North Zone. Kanpur got third place in the'Project Awards' category under 'Built Environment, for the modernization and development work of the Palika Sports Stadium. Lucknow secured the third position for employment training centre work in the economy category.

In the'ICCC Sustainable Model category, Agra Smart City secured the third position for revenue generation and reducing carbon emissions through the Centralized Command and Control Center.

Agra got second place in the'Social Aspect' category for the upgradation of Smart Health Center and Municipal School. Second place for Smart Water Meter by Agra Smart City in ABD area and 24x7 water supply by SCADA. Agra received the third place in the 'Covid Innovation Award' category for its various innovative initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the Smart City Mission, 10 cities of the state include Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Moradabad, Prayagraj, Saharanpur, and Varanasi. A total of 670 projects are proposed in these cities including smart roads, smart parking, parks, water bodies, and better civic amenities such as sanitation, water supply, street lighting, and sewerage.

The estimated cost of these projects is Rs 9313.45 crore. So far, 456 projects valued at Rs 5889.14 crore have been successfully completed, while 214 projects with a total expenditure of Rs 3424.31 crore are currently in progress. Notably, Agra, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Jhansi have received their full funding allocation, while Lucknow, Bareilly, Prayagraj, and Aligarh are yet to receive their final installments, the release read. (ANI)