AdvisoryGovernments, Civil society and Industry across all levels have taken several measures to prevent, control, and manage the outbreak of COVID – 19 in India. The situation necessitated urgent response from cities in order to fight the pandemic successfully. In this time of crisis, Smart City SPVs have performed an important role in managing the crisis especially in areas such as information processing, two-way communication amongst stakeholders, management of health infrastructure and essential services as well as preparing for the future. Although problems being faced by individual cities look similar at the macro level, there are bound to be differences in how the crisis presents itself in each context.
In this background, the need for smart cities to build greater resilience has been voiced by stakeholders with the goal to align their project implementation with the emergent situation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ‘new normal’ expected in the future. Deliberations with states and cities during the crisis have brought to light exceptional innovations / interventions which not only cater to demands of the current crisis, but hold long-term promise in times to come. A tentative list of such innovations / interventions is enclosed in the attached document.