Hardeep Singh Puri, who served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, has a multitude of projects to deliver on, including the Prime Minister’s ambitious Smart Cities Mission, Housing for All, and Swachh Bharat Mission. Excerpts from an interview on the challenges ahead:There are many concerns regarding the Smart Cities Mission, one of the flagship schemes of the Narendra Modi government. I don’t think there were any claims by the Smart Cities Mission to cover the entire city. In this year’s budget, the government allocated ₹13,948 crore for Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin and merely ₹2,300 crore for Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban. I assure everyone that by June 2018, you will be able to see the physical manifestation of Smart Cities.

Source: The Hindu November 21, 2017 18:45 UTC