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New Delhi, October 8 (IANS) The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) celebrated World Habitat Day 2025 on the theme ‘Urban Solutions to the Crisis’ at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday (October 8).
The theme focuses on how cities can better prepare to become resilient, inclusive and sustainable and also respond to challenges including climate change, migration and urbanisation.
The guest of honor of the event was Tokhan Sahu, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Affairs.
Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Satinder Pal Singh, Additional Secretary, MoHUA, Kuldeep Narayan, Joint Secretary and Mission Director (JS&MD), Housing for All/Housing Division, Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator, UN-India, senior officials of MoHUA and autonomous organisations. The CMD also attended the event, which was marked by the participation of the United Nations. Agencies, HUDCO, NHB, Others.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of State highlighted sustainable urbanization and how it is linked to the country’s development journey. He said that efforts should be made to make every city dignified and worthy of opportunities for the people.
The MoS further said that the theme of World Habitat Day 2025 is not just another calendar year, but to reaffirm India’s steadfast commitment to building cities that are resilient, inclusive, sustainable, and cities that are crisis-ready and emerge stronger. He clearly asked to work towards making cities safe, resilient, inclusive and future-ready.
“If we invest wisely in resilience, empower local governments and harness the potential of public-private-people partnerships, our cities will not only be able to withstand the crisis but will also emerge as powerful engines of growth,” the MoS said.
In his address to the gathering, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said that the policy response to the urban crisis should focus on strengthening the infrastructure, social systems and economies of cities by making them more resilient and adaptable. He expressed that although cities face a variety of challenges, they also offer unique opportunities for transformative action, creating a positive cycle of growth and resilience.
“India’s approach is guided by a clear vision of transforming these challenges into the foundation of future growth and prosperity,” the Secretary said.
Referring to various flagship schemes of the Ministry such as PMAY-Urban, AMRUT, PM Swanidhi and Swachh Bharat Mission, he further said that these schemes have been conceptualized with a focus on vulnerable and marginalized sections and together, represent an integrated and multi-pronged strategy designed to achieve social inclusion, economic empowerment along with infrastructure development along with climate action.
The event was also marked by the release of publications of organizations under MoHUA, including Housing for All (HFA) Division, HUDCO, NCHF, NHB, CGEWHO, HUDCO and BMTPC. HFA Division released ‘Compendium of Good’ which encapsulates the best practices adopted by States/UTs in the successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U).
Apart from the release of publications, a prize distribution ceremony for the winners of painting competitions organized by NHB, CGEWHO, HUDCO and BMTPC for school children including specially-abled children was organized to commemorate the event.
In line with the vision of ‘Develop India 2047’, separate panel discussions were organized on the topics like ‘Integration of urban and peri-urban areas into metropolitan cities’, ‘Understanding and responding to urban floods’ and ‘Equal Cities’.
The discussion brought together policy makers, practitioners, researchers, subject matter experts, officials from States/UTs and research organizations who shared their insights on the topics of making cities inclusive, livable, equitable and sustainable, with a focus on ensuring that no citizen is left behind.
–IANS
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