Bhubaneswar: The capital city and Ahmedabad ranked 32nd among top 50 Smart City Governments Globally, according to a study conducted jointly by the Singapore-based Eden Strategy Institute and ONG&ONG Experience Design.
Sources said this was the first independent ranking of its kind that investigated the roles the city administration played in leading a smart city strategy. The 2018-19 rankings studied 140 smart cities, from which the Top 50 Smart City Governments were ranked across 10 parameters.
The parameters studied in the survey were clarity of vision, leadership, budget, provision of financial incentives, support programmes, talent-readiness, people-centric approach, development of an innovation ecosystem, implementation of smart policies and track record of previous initiatives and projects.
The list of top 50 Smart City Governments Globally put London at the top, while Indian cities such as New Delhi, Surat, Bhubaneswar, Ahemdabad, Jaipur and Pune were also featured in the list. New Delhi was ranked 23, while Surat stood at 27th position, Jaipur at 34th and Pune at 36th position.
In the study, interviews were also conducted with city officials to validate facts, measure outcomes and learn about the unique challenges and pathways taken by each city.
"We are happy to be featured in the list of international cities. This will boost our confidence," said the smart city's managing director Krishan Kumar.
In the report, it was mentioned that the Indian cities emerged among the top 50 Smart City Governments because of their plans that is co-created with citizens and supported by systematically planned and mobilised budgets from the central government since 2015.
It is not the first time that the city gets some international or national recognition for its smart city interventions. Bhubaneswar had received the Pierre L'enfant International Planning Excellence Award from American Planning Association for its smart city proposal in April last year.
It has also become the top 20 best performing smart cities of the world, according a study Global Smart City Performance Index 2017 released by UK-based Juniper Research. The city had become the finalist in the Smart City Expo World Congress - Conference and Exhibition held in Barcelona in November 2016.
