CITIIS 2.0: With focus on waste management, MoU signed between Centre, states
The three-day event ending on Wednesday will be attended by 500 international and domestic participants and will feature plenary sessions, among others
Two years after the union cabinet approved the CITIIS (city investments to innovate, integrate & sustain) 2.0 programme supported by multilateral institutions under the Smart Cities Mission, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Centre and the states was signed on Monday during the inaugural session of the 12th Regional 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific in Jaipur.
The programme focussed on integrated waste management and covering 18 smart cities, 21 state governments will be funded by loans of equal amounts given by the AFD (French Development Agency) and KfW German Development Bank amounting to ₹1,496 crore and a grant of ₹264 crore from the European Union (EU).
Union minister for housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal Khattar also announced the launch of a new forum—Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3), a multi-nation alliance for city-to-city collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and private sector partnerships.
He said this forum will act as a catalyst for resource efficiency and a low-carbon economy, strengthening collaboration between policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to build a sustainable future. “Circular Economy is not just an environmental responsibility but an economic necessity,” he said.
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Khattar also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in championing the concept on the global stage and also in government’s policies such as mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), panchamrit goals at COP26, committing India to net-zero emissions by 2070 and flagship missions such as Swachh Bharat Mission and AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) 2.0.
The three-day event ending on Wednesday will be attended by 500 international and domestic participants and will feature plenary sessions, country-specific discussions, theme-based roundtables, among other programmes. Other than the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), a total of 15 union ministries, NITI Aayog will participate in the event along with states and cities.
Jaipur is the second Indian city to host the event after Indore hosted the eighth edition in 2018. The inaugural event of this coalition was held in Japan. The forum floated by United Nations Center for Regional Development (UNCRD) and the government of Japan in November 2009, currently has 41 member nations.
