Rashtrapati Bhavan goes ‘smart’ with IBM’s help

The biggest residential property in New Delhi, with an 80-year old man as its head, can now claim to be the smartest one around. President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday evening inaugurated an intelligent operation centre and mobile application, developed by multinational technology giant IBM, to manage the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s energy, waste, water, and security.

The intelligent operation centre works round the clock to address issues all cities and townships face. It puts the President’s estate, spread over 330 acres, in the league of smart townships, such as, the Mysore campus of information technology company Infosys and the IIT at Hyderabad.

The Prime Minister’s smart cities programme seeks to use technology to provide the best possible environment, transport, quality of life, and governance to residents. The Rashtrapati Bhavan is not a city like any other city, but it is not too different either.

“When I assumed office as the 13th President, I did not know that behind the imposing facade of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, there is a vibrant township of 6,000 residents. It is a microcosm of India. The residents belong to different regions, pursue different faiths, and observe diverse customs,” President Mukherjee said in his inauguration speech.

The IBM team began work on the project a year ago. “It was an excellent partnership given that they were looking at enabling digital solutions for improving the life of the residents,” said an IBM spokesperson.

The President said that when he was first presented with the idea of transforming the estate, by his internal team, he wanted to fashion it as “a 3H” township: human, high-tech, and heritage. The new system, he said, will lead to more realisation from less. “Our smart President’s state will work around four Hs.” The fourth ‘h’ is for happiness.