Bhubaneswar, Jan 18: Smart city Rourkela, the only Indian city, has emerged as the top 15 cities of the world under the Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge 2021, Officials said.
This achievement will make the Smart city of Rourkela eligible for a grant of USD 1 Million from Bloomberg Philanthropies and technical assistance to carry out the innovation over the next 3 years.
Rourkela, one of the five Municipal Corporations and a leading industrial town of Odisha, is the only Indian city to make the honour.
Under Global Mayors Challenge, Rourkela has developed a sustainable model which augments the income of women and small time traders of the city while promoting the use of technology.
As part of the project, Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has developed a cold storage facility at the local Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Market in partnership with a NIT Rourkela based startup and managed by Women self help group members.
With this solution, the local farmers and fruit traders have been able to enhance their income by preserving their produce and preventing any wastage.
In addition, fresh vegetables and fruits are delivered to people’s doorsteps, especially in times of COVID19. All of this is being managed by members of women self help groups using mobile apps.
Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner Dr. Subhankar Mohaptra appreciated the role of team RMC, Technical Partner Koel Fresh, research students and alumni of NIT Rourkela who have shown commendable effort in the last 6 months.
The prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Mayors Challenge 2021 award will not only help us to take the innovation forward but also inspire all stakeholders, Dr. Mohapatra said.
Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan has congratulated the Team RMC and all the stakeholders for this global recognition.
With its uniqueness, the project immensely helps women SHGs, small vegetable and fruit vendors of Rourkela while delivering a smart service at the doorstep of the people, he said.
“We are very much hopeful that such a solution would be scaled up in various parts of India and Rourkela city would act as a role model for many other cities.We thank the entire team from Bloomberg Philanthropies for giving us such a wonderful platform to showcase our city’s potential,”
Dr Mohapatra said.
Notably, 99 countries from around the world took part in the Global Mayors Challenge held in June 2021.
At a critical time such as the COVID pandemic, the competition focused on proposals from 630 cities on economic recovery and overall growth, health and welfare, climate and environment, and good governance and equality.
Of these, 50 cities, including Rourkela, were finalists among proposals for innovative and modern projects. The list also included the city of Pune in the first leg of the challenge.
Currently, Rourkela is the only city from India to have made the cut among top 15 cities globally.
