India will be part of a global movement led by cities from across the world to boost the country's systemic urbanisation efforts through the AMRUT mission or the smart cities project.
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, formed in June last year, is considered one of the largest network for climate action, with over 7000 member cities from across the world, said the European Union's (EU) India office in a statement.
Two city-led initiatives, EU-led Covenants of Mayors and the UN Compact of Mayors launched in 2008 and 2014 respectively, had come together to form the global coalition in 2016.
"As recognised by the Paris Climate Agreement, Mayors and local authorities are crucial partners in fight against climate change. Their commitment is crucial in turning climate commitments into action and putting the world on track to reach our climate and energy goals," the statement said.
Highlighting rapid rate of urbanisation in Indian mega cities, the EU said that with fast growing suburbs and high population density, cities face challenges to enable residential and commercial development, adequate infrastructure and sufficient connectivity.
"The European Union-funded International Urban Cooperation (IUC) Programme aims at strengthening the EU-India policy dialogue on sustainable urban development and climate actions through cooperation between European and Indian cities," it said.
From this year, "The IUC Programme will coordinate and cooperate with other cities networks (C40, UCLG, ICLEI) and relevant Government led initiatives currently operating in the country, such as the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) as well as the 100 smart cities Mission," it added.
