AP happy to host Happy Cities Summit

-    Around 200 delegates from various countries to participate 
in summit
-    Summit to discuss urban solutions and innovations, particularly for new and emerging cities, centered around principles of happiness
-    Amaravati to be among top five cities in world, says CM
-    Chandrababu Naidu brand ambassador for Happy Cities Summit
-    Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will attend the summit

Amaravati: The state government is gearing up to conduct a global event “Happy Cities Summit-Amaravati 2018” on a grand scale from April 10 to 12 in Vijayawada in which above 200 delegates from various countries are expected to take part. 

The state government has finalised an action plan for making the summit a success. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be the brand ambassador for the global event and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will attend the meeting and more than 20 speakers from Harvard and other reputed global institutions will participate in theme-based sessions.

During a teleconference with APCRDA officials, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that the Happy Cities Summit would discuss urban solutions and innovations, particularly relevant for new and emerging cities in the developing world, centered around the principles of happiness.

He said that greenfield capital city Amaravati, which will be the symbol of pride and rich culture of Andhras, would figure among the top five cities in the world and will serve as an international benchmark for “Citizen Happy Index.”

“Amaravati is being developed as a happy city in which Citizen Happiness Index will be the core concept.

 As we strongly desire that the economic and technological advantages must reach every common man in the state, we should be cautious in planning the construction of capital city” he said.

Stating that the government was committed to bring the best global practices to Amaravati and every town and city in the state as well, the Chief Minister said the Happy Cities Summit would be the platform for showcasing cutting-edge urban innovations that can be embedded in 21st Century cities in India and globally. “Plan activities to provide opportunities for stakeholders to takeaway tangible and practical learnings and toolkits for implementation in their respective cities and actively engage citizens in planning and designing their cities,” he told the officials.

The summit will also provide a platform for discourse on pressing urban issues and to launch initiatives to tackle the challenges of urbanisation such as preparing cities to be inclusive by creating better opportunities for accessing opportunities such as affordable housing, sustainable transportation, accessible education and meaningful employment. The Chief Minister may invite key dignitaries, including Prime Minister of Bhutan, Minister of UAE, delegates from UK, Singapore and other countries. Principal Secretary Energy and CRDA Ajay Jain said a working committee was constituted with Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana as the chairman to oversee the arrangements for the summit.