Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> today said residents and city leadership should play the major role in deciding how their city will grow and not private property developers, as he unveiled three mega flagship urban schemes aimed at developing cities as engines of growth. Urbanisation should be viewed as an opportunity and urban centres should be viewed as growth engines, he said launching the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and <keyword id="2130852" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Urban-transformation">Urban Transformation</keyword> (AMRUT), <keyword id="2738020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smart-Cities-Mission">Smart Cities Mission</keyword>, and <keyword id="2481158" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Housing-for-All">Housing for All</keyword> (Urban) here. 

	"Under these schemes we can go ahead and we can do it together (Centre and state). India is rapidly urbanising. Every year Hindustan gives birth to a small country," he said. 
 

	While 500 cities will be developed under AMRUT scheme, there would be 100 Smart Cities over five years and Housing for All aims construction of 2 crore houses in urban areas in the next seven years. 
 

	Smart City will be selected through a competition among cities while 500 cities are being identified under AMRUT. 
 

	Referring to Smart City, Modi said, "For the first time in India, a challenge was being floated, in which the citizens of urban India could contribute in the formulation of development visions of their cities." 
 

	Those cities which were able to competitively meet the required parameters would be developed as smart cities. 
 

	"This competitive mechanism would end the top-down approach, and lead to people-centric urban development," he said. 
 

	"These urban development schemes were not prepared by the Government alone, but involved perhaps the biggest consultation exercise ever taken by the Union Government, involving all stakeholders and examining global best practices," he said. 
 

	Stressing that all schemes for urban development should move forward based on people's participation, Modi said, "There is a lack of holistic vision about urban planning, and expansion is driven not by the administrators of a city, but by property developers. 
 

	"Through AMRUT, the aim of the Government is to give cities themselves the chance to plan their future growth," he said. 
 

	The Prime Minister said the people assembled for the function here had on them the collective responsibility for better quality of life for 40 percent of India's population that either lived in cities, or were dependent on cities for their livelihood. 
 

	The Prime Minister stressed that aspirations of migrants from rural areas, and slum dwellers, should be balanced with the changing global environment and said ensuring a good life for them is the government's responsibility. 
 

	Giving a simple vision of a smart city, he said it is one which was a step or two ahead of people's aspirations. 
 

	"There should be facility for walk-to-work because today a person spends maximum time in travelling to office and gets very little time to work," Modi said. 
 

	Besides transportation, technology also plays a key role and there should also be provision for energy efficiency, and cycling etc. 
 

	Lamenting the state of affairs in urban areas, he said, "If this had been done 25-30 years ago, it would have led to good results today, but better late than never. Schemes which had a clear vision and were people-centric, were the need of the hour." 
 

	Seeking replication of best practices from across the country, the Prime Minister mentioned Hyderabad's tax collection system, Karnataka's efforts for solid waste management, and Chhattisgarh's work to eliminate open defecation. 
 

	Chhattisgarh, which is fighting Maoist menace, is making an all out effort to make the state free from open defecation, he said. 
 

	Mentioning the challenge of rising population, he said all possible avenues should be explored to find the resources for urban development. 
 

	Highlighting the importance of the housing scheme, the Prime Minister observed that, "A house was a turning point in the lives of poor, which leads towards a better life and the government's effort was to not just provide a house, but to provide the right environment to live life to the fullest." 
 

	Citing the existing housing shortage of 2 crore units, he said India would complete 75 years of Independence in 2022, and by then, it was "our responsibility to provide a house for everyone". 
 

	Noting that public representatives and leaders are remembered by the good work they did in their terms, the Prime Minister asked urban leaders to contribute to doing something for the good of the people. 
 

	If a person gets an opportunity and does something worthwhile, it will be remembered even after 50 years, he said. 
 

	Asking chairpersons of municipalities and mayors of urban local bodies to do some good work in their terms, Modi said, "You can show your grandson whether it is any building or whatever you have done 50 years ago. The success parameter of life is that what you have done for the people." 
 

	The Prime Minister appreciated people for their interest and work in the Swachh Bharat initiative, as well as the positive role played by media in generating awareness. 
 

	"All media men are doing it on their own and media role in Swachh Bharat campaign will always be remembered for this, he said. 
 

	On the rural and urban divide, the Prime Minister said urban and rural development in the country should be complimentary. 
 

	"One way of doing this was to ensure waste water management in urban areas, so that the treated water could be returned to rural areas for irrigation. Similarly solid waste management could generate compost which could act as organic fertiliser for the surrounding rural areas," he said. 
 

	Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy CM Nirmal Kumar Singh, mayors, chairpersons of urban local bodies and senior officials from all states and UTs have attended the mega event at the Vigyan Bhawan. 
 

	On the occasion, the Prime Minister released logos, and taglines for AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission; and guidelines for AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission and Housing for All (Urban). 
 

	The Prime Minister also visited an exhibition on best practices in urban development. 
	 
	(image credits: indiatimes)

Citizens will plan their city: Narendra Modi on Smart city
project

The 100 <keyword id="2474960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities-project">smart cities project</keyword>, part of the Smart Cities Mission, recently got further impetus when with the government shortlisted 20 cities, which will first be developed as smart cities. 
 
The smart cities project seeks to develop 100 cities that will be more citizen-friendly and sustainable, with an endeavor to push urbanization in India. The NDMC area of New Delhi among others is in the recently announced shortlist of 20. 
 
Currently, at around a population of 350 million with an estimate to touch 600 million by 2030, urbanization in India is lagging behind developed nations and BRIC nations. Most developed nations, for instance, have an urban population of over 80%. China’s urban population is 54% and Brazil’s is at a surprising 90%. 
 
India’s urban population is at around 30% and this is set to increase rapidly because of her huge youth population, migrating to cities for growth and employment opportunities. 
 
The vision for smart cities is to provide urban services that address citizens’ needs with efficient governance, thus improving the quality of life in Indian cities. It will involve infrastructure investments, efficient transport systems, waste management and water management systems, energy efficiency systems, design and architectural innovations, IT connectivity, and e-governance mechanisms, which in order to fall in place will require Public Private Partnerships. 
 
However, for the mission to be successful, a grassroot-level requirement would be to ensure safety and security of citizens. The reality is that Indian cities are not safe. 
 
Delhi has been adjudged as one of the most violent places in India, even cities like Bengaluru, which is known as the start-up hub of the country, features as a high crime region, making its citizens fear for their personal safety. 
 
Safety and security in smart cities: What it entails 
 
Safety and security is in fact an important feature of smart cities. CCTVs, vehicle tracking systems, GPS enabled transport modes are all part of the equation, but also needed is a prompt, reliable, and fool-proof safety and security assistance that can actually be present to protect the individual from real or perceived harm. 
 
Providing this service is not rocket science but it requires in today’s age of connectedness, a strong technology backed by a trustworthy and capable service. 
 
While it may be true that about half the crimes are solved by police authorities in NCR and the criminals are brought to book, it may be in some cases the crime could have been averted if the affected party had access to prompt action and someone who could help. 
 
There are private enterprises that have risen to the occasion and are attempting to fill the gap that in developed nations is provided for the most part by government. 
 
Because of the huge infiltration of smartphones, there are a lot of apps that act as an alerting mechanism to family members when one’s security and safety are under threat. 
 
These apps act as great communication mechanisms, but will need to be backed by timely action. In times of panic, though, the best of us may lose judgment of what may be the right thing to do. At such a time, having the right assistance, of someone trained, who is well versed in handling a broad range of situations, can prevent an edgy situation from further escalation. These could include a personal medical emergency or a road rage situation that’s become uncontrollable or simply having someone check on you to ensure your personal safety when using public transport in late evening hours or to deserted areas. 
 
There’s a broad range of crisis situations we face on a daily basis that make us feel vulnerable—this holds true whether one is living in smart cities or in our cities as they are today. If a personal safety and immediate assistance service is able to make a difference to even the life of one person, then getting this type of safety and security service in place for citizens would create goodwill and make urban life less stressful for citizens. 
 Start with the basics—ease of reach through an app or a help line, an embedded GPS that would help determine an affected party’s location (again something that has been amiss in several incidents reported till even recently in NCR), a command and control center that is able to guide callers until live help in the form of a trained responders team reaches, a partnership with government authorities, police, hospitals that are able to help in such situations, is a good place to start. Things companies such as <keyword id="2773238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="One-Touch-Response">One Touch Response</keyword> have already done, in our effort to make citizens of Delhi NCR feel more secure. 
 
(The author of this article is Arvind Khanna, Founder of One Touch Response)

Citizen safety and security: An essential pillar needed to transform our cities into smart cities

By 2050, it is predicted that 64.1 per cent of developing countries and 85 per cent of the developed world will be urbanized. Currently, 31% of India’s population lives in cities; this figure is expected to grow to 50 per cent by 2030. The net effect of all this is poor predictability in <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword> and increase in demand for public utilities and services, impacting quality of life. 
 
The Government of India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=smart+cities&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Smart Cities Mission</a> is thus a bold initiative to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens. 
 
What does it mean for the common man? 
 A smart city leverages out-of-the-box solutions to simplify complex systems and provides scalable solutions for our rapidly growing cities. <keyword id="6377036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities">Smart cities</keyword> deploy intelligent systems with real-time solutions for utilization of the city's assets, without which, it will be difficult to address the growing needs of the increasing population. 
 
Many of these aspects are gradually becoming real. Take the example of personal transportation where powerful navigation systems deploying <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GPS&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GPS</a>, have made driving in cities easier. Imagine a situation where your navigation system can help you to get to your destination smoothly, avoiding traffic congestion, or takes you precisely to a vacant parking slot, or guides you to a gas station sensing that you are running out of fuel and so forth. 
 The increase in intelligence levels in personal transportation – from an integrated navigation system, culminating in autonomous cars – will happen as both cities and vehicles get smarter. Thus, smart devices when integrated into the city's infrastructure through the effective deployment of <keyword id="70733" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICT">ICT</keyword>, can make life a lot more seamless. Navigation systems deployed in a smart city can proactively predict most traffic congestions and help divert traffic to alternative routes. 
 
The applications of smart cities can go beyond this example of revolutionizing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=transportation&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">transportation</a>. Traffic cameras with license plate and facial recognition systems can not only help in streamlining traffic but also improve the overall security in smart cities. Networking with security cameras of adjacent buildings, combined with human identification techniques, can be used to improve security throughout the city. 
 
A big impact in streamlining public services in large cities can be made by regulating the planning, distribution and consumption of energy and other utilities. For this to happen, a comprehensive integration of ICT has to be set up in commercial buildings, homes, power grids, hospitals, and so on. By doing this, e-governance will become more comprehensive in ushering in excellence and smartness in public services. 
Smart cities are made up of smart homes, which in turn bring out efficiencies when connected to cities’ public infrastructure. Obviously, all of this will come at a cost. People living in smart cities need to be more compliant for the city's community to derive the maximum benefits of smart cities. 
 
By improving their citizens’ quality of life and operating transport and security infrastructure in optimal fashion, cities everywhere hope to secure a position among the world’s Top 100 most attractive places to live. 
 
Since life in smart cities will capture the digital footprint of the citizens, it will probably give rise to problems like individual privacy, information theft and misuse. While there are no easy solutions, upfront planning can improve security and bring down misuse to a manageable level. In the end, the benefits far outweigh the issues. All said and done, smarter urban infrastructure is an essential need today, otherwise daily life can come to a grinding halt. 
 
(The article is authored by GH Rao, Head of Engineering and R&amp;D Services at HCL Technologies)

Here’s how Modi's smart cities can improve the quality of urban life

With Indore, Surat, Vadodara and <keyword id="42774" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udaipur">Udaipur</keyword> emerging among the top ones implementing the projects, BJP-ruled states are outperforming others in embracing the Centre's <keyword id="513113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="smart-city">Smart City</keyword> mission with five cities. 
 Ahead of the completion of two years of the mission in June, these cities have achieved an Investment Conversion Ratio (<keyword id="869068" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICR">ICR</keyword>) of 90 per cent and above, according to an analysis of the implementation of smart city projects, according to a news report by the <keyword id="6367495" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PTI">PTI</keyword>. 
 
ICR indicates the percentage of funds currently being used at the ground level for implementing the projects as against the funds approved by the Centre. 
 The <keyword id="6696781" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-development-ministry">Urban Development Ministry</keyword> has approved smart city plans of 60 cities so far. 20 cities announced for the mission in January last year, followed by 13 in May and another 27 in September. 
 
Indore, Surat, and Udaipur were among the first batch of 20cities announced in January last year. Nagpur and Vadodara, despite being selected in September last year, got into top league within a short span, an official said. 
 
The first batch of 20 cities, with a total approved investment of Rs 48,064 crore, is sto achieve an ICR of 49 per cent by June this year. The ICR of the 13 announced in May is about 4 per cent and 21 per cent in the case of 27 cities announced in September, according to a news report by the PTI. 
 
A total investment of Rs 1,31,762 crore has been approved for the 60 cities. 
 
The performance of first batch in implementation of smart city plans is encouraging, though some of them, particularly, the southern cities need to pick up momentum, an official said. 
 The southern cities are Kochi (<keyword id="28504" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword>), <keyword id="60510" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Visakhapatnam">Visakhapatnam</keyword> (<keyword id="37102" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword>), Davanagere (<keyword id="6354780" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword>), Coimbatore (<keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>), <keyword id="6361499" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Belagavi">Belagavi</keyword> (Karnataka) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu). 
 <keyword id="94836" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kakinada">Kakinada</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh, however, is progressing well with an ICR of 55 per cent, according to a news report by the PTI.

BJP ruled states are implanting
Smart City mission better than others

New Delhi, Jan 31 () As many as 5,151 projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are being implemented in 100 cities under the government's smart city mission, the Economic Survey highlighted on Friday.
 Talking about achievements of 'Smart Cities Mission' (SCM), the Survey said all 100 cities under the mission have incorporated Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), City Level Advisory Forums (CLAFs) and appointed Project Management Consultants (PMCs).
 "Since the launch of the mission, 5,151 projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are at various stages of implementation in the 100 cities," it added.
 As on November 14, 2019, 4,154 SCM projects worth Rs 1.49 lakh crore (72 per cent of the total proposals) have been tendered, of which 3,359 projects worth Rs 1.05 lakh crores (51 per cent of total proposals) have been issued work orders. As many as 1,290 projects worth Rs 22,569 crores have been completed and are operational.
 On Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Urban (PMAY-U) programme, the Survey said the scheme was launched in June, 2015 to provide "pucca" house with basic amenities to all eligible urban poor. The States/UTs were mandated to conduct demand survey to estimate the housing demand in their respective cities/towns.
 "So far, a validated demand of 1.12 crore houses has been registered," it said.
 Stating that the PMAY-U is one of the largest housing schemes of the world covering complete urban India, the Survey said the scheme is rapidly moving towards achieving the vision for providing a pucca house to every household by 2022.
 Out of 1.03 crore houses approved, 60 lakhs have been grounded for construction, of which 32 lakh houses have been completed and delivered, it said.
 "....the investment made under PMAY(U) not only provides pucca houses to the eligible families to achieve the goal of 'Housing for All' but also triggers multiplier effect on the overall economy," the Survey said.
 Over and above the year-on-year budgetary provisions, a separate mechanism through creation of National Urban Housing Funds (NUHF) has been approved by Union Cabinet to mobilise resources through Extra Budgetary Resources to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore for funding PMAY(U).
 "Such arrangement has enabled the ministry to provide Central assistance in a time bound manner for uninterrupted progress of projects with States/UTs and central nodal agencies," the document said. MJH DRR

Smart City Mission: 5,151 projects at various stages of implementation says Survey

The United States is assisting India in building <keyword id="6377036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities">smart cities</keyword> and a delegation of top American companies will be visiting the country for the same in February. 
 
The delegation led by US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews will come in India on Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission and tour Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. 
 
Also, US will develop smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Vishakhapatnam as a part of an agreement signed between both the nations. 
 
Meanwhile, the delegation will see the prospects of increasing businesses in India, focusing on technologies, safety and security and transportation. 
 
"US industry stands ready and able to help India make its cities more sustainable - an effort that will greatly benefit India's economic growth and our world's ability to address a changing climate," said Andrews. 
 
PM Modi wants to develop 100 smart cities in the India and create sustainable economic development.

Top American companies are coming to India next month on smart cities mission

<keyword id="434509" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Union-Urban-Development-Ministry">Union Urban Development Ministry</keyword> today asserted that there will be no extension of time beyond December 15, 2015 for submission of city level <keyword id="3909989" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Smart-City-Plans">Smart City Plans</keyword> by respective urban local bodies and states. 
 This was made clear by the Ministry at a meeting with Principal Secretaries of state Urban Development departments and Municipal Commissioners of some cities included in the <keyword id="513113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="smart-city">Smart City</keyword> Mission, from nine states. 
 
The states represented at the meeting were - UP, MP, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Nagaland. 
 
In fact, some Municipal Commissioners raised the issue stating that they have been working hard on preparation of Smart City Plans to meet the deadline of December 15 this year, set by the UD Ministry, for submission of plans and if the Ministry would consider extension of time if such requests were received. 
 
Today's meeting was convened to discuss with officials of states and mission cities the actions being undertaken for preparation of city level smart city plans and particularly, efforts towards ensuring citizen participation in formulating smart city vision for each mission city and action plans besides the criteria for evaluation of smart city plans, to be submitted by December 15. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Smart City plans have to be submitted by 15 December, says Union Urban Development Ministry

<div style="width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v2|406D|0|0|%2a|s;269075486;0-0;0;95225327;31-1|1;53051265|52992675|1;;;pc=[TPAS_ID]%3fhttps://xedge.aperture.displaymarketplace.com/audmeasure.gif?liveconclientID=4363687804992&amp;CreativeID=50896005&amp;PlacementID=85605703&amp;EventType=Click&amp;rand=3316882&amp;RedirectURL=http://www.chase.com/business-banking/platinum-business-vtw.html?jp_cmp=bb/7331241/ext/linkedin/versatility" target="_blank"></a>
This post is part of the "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/big-ideas" target="_blank">Small Business, Big Ideas</a>" series, in which business leaders, <keyword id="53533" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entrepreneurs">entrepreneurs</keyword>, and innovators share their stories of overcoming obstacles and achieving success. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/big-ideas" target="_blank">Small Business, Big Ideas</a>" is sponsored by Chase.<a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v2|406D|0|0|%2a|s;269075486;0-0;0;95225327;31-1|1;53051265|52992675|1;;;pc=[TPAS_ID]%3fhttps://xedge.aperture.displaymarketplace.com/audmeasure.gif?liveconclientID=4363687804992&amp;CreativeID=50896005&amp;PlacementID=85605703&amp;EventType=Click&amp;rand=3316882&amp;RedirectURL=http://www.chase.com/business-banking/platinum-business-vtw.html?jp_cmp=bb/7331241/ext/linkedin/versatility" target="_blank"></a>
</div>
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/big-ideas">See more Small Business, Big Ideas &gt;&gt;</a><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image">Leo Kremer</div></div>In less than four years since launching in New York City's Union Square, <a href="http://dostoros.com/">Dos Toros Taqueria</a> has earned a cult following and expanded to four locations in the city, with another opening in Washington D.C. this year.
It all started with a simple realization.
Brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer from Berkeley, Calif., were visiting New York in the fall of 2008 when they tried to get a burrito.
Not only were they underwhelmed by the local offerings, but they were also shocked not to find any in the (San Francisco) Mission style, with thin, flaky tortillas and a ton of filling.
"The burrito is not a revolutionary idea. But there were no good burritos in New York. That was weird," says Leo, the older of the siblings at 32. "We thought, 'Someone should do that.' Once we had that realization, it became an execution challenge, being that we had zero experience."
"The whole business opportunity is to bring this to a place where it is unavailable," Leo says.
<div class="image-container float_left" style="width:400px"><div class="image">Leo Kremer</div></div>
The brothers both took jobs at Mexican restaurants to understand the workings behind a burrito business. They also conducted preliminary research in September 2008, embarking on an epic Mexican culinary tour that involved eating at 35 Mexican places in 10 days. It took them a year to perfect their own burrito recipe.
<div>
"Texture in Mexican food is everything," says Oliver, 27. "If you mess up something as simple as the rice, which should be fluffy, you could end up with a very mediocre burrito."
"We grew up on the customer side, eating this stuff," says Oliver. "So, we agonized over everything from that perspective. In addition to the product, we observed everything in restaurants from how many inches people are sitting above the floor to even how the napkin dispensers are aligned. Every little thing about Dos Toros we obsessed over."
</div>
<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image">Leo Kremer</div></div>
Walk into a Dos Toros location and you'll see heavy wood and leather stools. The music playlist won't repeat a song for days (as for their musical taste, it helps that Leo is the former bassist of rock band Third Eye Blind).
Personality is valued more in their new hires than the ability to assemble a burrito. They look for friendly, warm people who embody the Dos Toros culture. Hiring the right people, they say, has been key to their success.
"Pre-opening, we obsessed about the logo, website, logistical stuff," says Leo. "But since opening the restaurant, it's suddenly become all about the people. Finding, managing and training employees has become the focus."
Today, with approximately 80 employees, Dos Toros has created two music videos that capture the founders' hip, fun-loving spirit. There's the creative twist on the Unk song "Walk It Out" — better known as "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt-bGJoRb9A" target="_blank">Guac it Out</a>" — along with their most recent version of Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow"-turned "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzoFMs2u2TA" target="_blank">Black or Pinto</a>" which announced their new Williamsburg location. 
While the videos generated a lot of buzz, they were more about capitalizing on the team's many creative talents than marketing. Oliver says the best part about starting Dos Toros is being able to promote and recognize staff. 
<div class="image-container float_left" style="width:400px"><div class="image">Leo Kremer</div></div>
Despite their success, Dos Toros is in no rush to become a franchise or corporate entity.
"We want to expand to other cities in a controlled, organized way. We like things slow and simple," says Oliver.
Dos Toros is a curated example of a San Francisco burrito, but there is a slim-to-none chance that it will make its way back home.
"Our whole reason for being is to bring everything in the Bay Area to the places where it isn't," says Leo. "We're not about making things complicated."

This Mission-Style Burrito Chain Is Taking Over New York City

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s one of the most ambitious dreams is to establish 100 Smart Cities across India. To realise his dream, the state governments and other stakeholders have started taking baby steps. They have chalked out the criteria for the selection and ranking of cities hoping to build ‘a new Chicago every year’ in the country by agreeing to implement innovative financing models and urban governance reforms. 
 These agreements were reached following intense discussions at the two-day ‘Consultation Workshop of state governments and stakeholders on smart cities.’ The final recommendations were presented at the concluding ‘Plenary Session,’ which was chaired by <keyword id="6721" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="babul-Supriyo">Babul Supriyo</keyword>, minister of state for urban development and housing &amp; urban poverty alleviation. 
 The state governments and other stakeholders have suggested that the basic eligibility conditions to participate in the ‘<keyword id="513113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="smart-city">Smart City</keyword> Challenge’ competition should include a city development strategy, progress under <keyword id="2312336" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Mission">Swachh Bharat Mission</keyword>, timely payment of salaries to municipal staff, information and grievance redressal mechanism as well as e-News Letter. 
 
They’ve also added that the ranking of these cities will be based on parameters such as: self-financing ability (25% weightage), institutional systems and capacities (25%), existing service levels and committed plan of action for three years (25%), past track record in implementing reforms (15%) and the quality of vision document (10%). 
 
Indian states have suggested two sets of reforms separately for small and metropolitan cities, land monetisation, quick progress towards e-governance and online service delivery, integrated geographic information system (GIS)-based master plans, policy reforms, fixed tenures for mayors and municipal officials, improving revenues through 100% collection of taxes and user charges etc. 
 
In order to enable the state governments to take up the challenges under smart cities initiative, Minister of States Babul Supriyo has urged the state authorities to devolve necessary functions, funds and functionaries to the urban local bodies.

Indian States Gear Up For An Era Of ‘Smart Cities’

Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha today interacted with the municipal commissioners of 97 cities included in the Smart Cities Mission and chief secretaries of all states and Union territories on the implementation of the programme and asked them to focus on resource mobilisation. 
 Complimenting the 20 winners of the first round of <keyword id="513113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="smart-city">Smart City</keyword> Challenge Competition, he said it said was fiercely contested based on comprehensive evaluation criteria. 
Highlighting the importance and urgency being accorded by the government to Smart City Mission, Sinha, in a video conference here, stressed that the urban sector has emerged as a major contributor of economic activity. 
 
He said that given the limitations of central and state governments in terms of resources, Mission Cities should focus more on other means of resource mobilization like convergence of various schemes, rationalization of user charges, an Urban Development Ministry spokesperson said. 
 
The Cabinet Secretary said those who could not make it to the first list announced yesterday need not be disappointed as they get two more opportunities to compete in the next few months. 
 The Municipal Commissioner of <keyword id="58537" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bhubaneshwar">Bhubaneshwar</keyword>, which topped the list of 20 winners, informed the Cabinet Secretary that sustainable urban planning, developing sound economic ecosystem and credible <keyword id="25456" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="financial-planning">financial planning</keyword> through city-level infrastructure development fund were the strong points of their proposal. 
 The Municipal Commissioner of <keyword id="2094" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Pune">Pune</keyword>, which came in second, said focus on quality of life in the city, creation of qualitative economic infrastructure as a part of a 15 year master plan and sustainability features were the core strengths of the city's proposal. 
 
Sinha informed the 23 states and Union territories, which were not represented in the first list, that they could participate in fast-track competition by submitting upgraded smart city proposals of one top ranked city in each state and UT by April 15, 2016. 
 
Most of the cities who could not make to the winners list informed the Cabinet Secretary that preparation of the proposals and participation in the competition was a huge learning experience and they were determined to improve upon their proposals by working on the deficiencies. 
 
Some of them admitted to possible inadequacies with respect to certain parameters like implementation frame work, credibility of financing plans and sustainable urban planning. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

You Searched For "City Mission" and got 10 results

Citizens will plan their city: Narendra Modi on Smart city project

BI India Bureau

Citizen safety and security: An essential pillar needed to transform our cities into smart cities

Guest Author

Here’s how Modi's smart cities can improve the quality of urban life

Guest Author

BJP ruled states are implanting Smart City mission better than others

BI India Bureau

Smart City Mission: 5,151 projects at various stages of implementation says Survey

PTI

Top American companies are coming to India next month on smart cities mission

BI India Bureau

Smart City plans have to be submitted by 15 December, says Union Urban Development Ministry

This Mission-Style Burrito Chain Is Taking Over New York City

Lynne Guey

Indian States Gear Up For An Era Of ‘Smart Cities’

BI India Bureau

Smart Cities: Cabinet Secretary asks cities to focus on resource mobilisation

BI India Bureau

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides