France commits 100 million Euro loan to boost India's Smart Cities Mission

France has officially announced a Euro100 million loan to bolster Indias prominent Smart Cities Mission extending its support to the CITIIS 20 program stated a report in ANIAccording to the reportFrances Minister of State for Development Francophonie and International Partnerships disclosed the conclusion of a loan agreement valued at euro100 million between the French Development Agency AFD and the Indian governmentThis loan is dedicated to enhancing Indias innovative Smart Cities Mission building on the foundation of the CITIIS 1 program the report added CITIIS 10 launched in 2018 has already benefited 12 citylevel projects by strengthening their capabilities and implementing inventive solutions for sustainable mobility public spaces urban egovernance ICT and social and organizational innovations in lowincome areasAccording to the report the CITIIS 20 program is focused on circular economy and integrated solid waste management It continues the successful approach of its predecessor with an increased budget of Euro 212 million including contributions from Germanys Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau KfW and a Euro12 million grant from the European Union as part of its Global Gateway strategy the ANI report further readReportedly Hardeep Singh Puri Indias Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs highlighted the challenge of solid waste management in Indian cities emphasizing the need for proper collection segregation recycling and treatment of waste He noted the role the private sector can play in these ambitious effortsMinister Chrysoula Zacharopoulou expressed pride in Frances support for the program emphasizing its potential to create cleaner greener and more sustainable Indian cities while addressing waste management and environmental concerns She noted the positive impact on citizens and the alignment with the European Unions Global Gateway strategyShrysoula said France together with Team Europe is proud to support this programme which will be key in building cleaner greener and more sustainable cities in India The innovative CITIIS approach not only mitigates the health and environmental impact of waste but also creates economic opportunities and a positive social impact on citizens This project is also emblematic of how the European Unions flagship Global Gateway strategy can support key partners such as India in reconciling economic development with environment protection while building the infrastructure of tomorrowSeppo Nurmi Charge dAffaires ai at the Delegation of the EU underlined the importance of sustainable models for urban growth and praised the CITIIS 20 project as part of the EUs commitment to help Indian cities become selfreliant and futureready He highlighted Indias significance as a partner under the Global Gateway StrategyFor both EU and India cities are the engine of growth but need to adapt sustainable models to be able to address climate change and environmental challenges This project addresses that precisely with the EU mobilizing investments from Team Europe for a transformational impact The EU is happy to continue providing technical support to Indian cities in their journey to become selfreliant and futureready said Nurmi adding India is a key partner for us under Global Gateway Strategy and CITIIS 20 is yet another project that highlights our mutual commitment to build sustainable and trusted infrastructureWith ANI inputs