The Making of a Smart India

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E D E C A D ES

OF CHANGE

F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 4

THE MAKING OF

A SMART INDIA

T

here’snolookingpastthefactthatIndia’sproblems here’s no looking past the fact that India’s problems are massive. Our cities pulsate with life but are a chaoticshambles;ourriversaresteepedintradition chaotic shambles; our rivers are steeped in tradition butchokedwithfilth;wearelefthopingoureducation but choked with filth; we are left hoping our education system doesn’t dull sharp minds; and millions struggleforcleanwaterandreliablepower. struggle for clean water and reliable power. Itmay be beclichédtosaythatinadversityliesopportunity, clichédtosaythatinadversityliesopportunity, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Equally, there’s no denyingthefactthatthere’sacolossalamountofworkand denying the fact that there’s a colossal amount of work and investmentneededtomakeasmart,digitallyconnected, investment needed to make a smart, digitally connected, self-sustaining India; what is beyond dispute is that the dividendswillmorethanpayourway. dividends will more than pay our way. Technology, coupled with a mature assessment of thebenefitsofsustainableliving,willprovide answers. the benefits of sustainable living, will provide us answers Smart cities are a sign of our soaring ambition; a project tocleantheGangacouldleadtosmartlivingonitsbanks; to clean the Ganga could lead to smart living on its banks; smart grids could help address our power hunger and using usingtheinternettoconnectcitizenswiththingswillalter the internet to connect citizens with things will alter life beyond recognition. lifebeyondrecognition. We’re on the cusp of something special. Creating a Smart India makes sense economically, politically and socially. socially.Let’snotlosethisopportunity. Let’s not lose this opportunity. THE POWER OF GETTING LINKED > By Dinesh Malkani•DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE > By Sunita Narain•STEPPING UP TO A NEW AGE > By Madhav Chavan•ENRICHING AN • ICONIC RIVER > By Onno Ruhl•GRAPHIC: WHAT MAKES A CITY SMART •SEEKING ANSWERS WITHIN > By Harish Hande•INTERVIEW: Nitin Gadkari•MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT > By Naina Lal Kidwai•INTERVIEW: Venkaiah Naidu•BUILDING A BACKBONE > By Anil Sardana•INTERVIEW: Hafeez Contractor•INTERVIEW: RK Pachauri•SITTING ATOP THE PYRAMID > By Raghu Raman Issue editor > Sitaraman Shankar Editorial/coordination > Gaurav Choudhury, Chetan Chauhan, Vineet Sharma, Manan Rathore, Sugita Katyal, Rituparna Kakoty, Pathikrit Sen Gupta and Kaushik Kashyap •Group • • Creative Director > Anup Gupta •Graphic > Malay Karmakar•Design > Ashutosh Sapru, Prijit Sashidharan•Illustrations > Jayanto Bannerjee, D. Dutta


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The Making of a Smart India by Pallav Nayak - Issuu