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Bhubaneswar: The steel city of Odisha, Rourkela has been shortlisted among the 25 cities for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ cohort.
The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, announced the 25 shortlisted cities for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ cohort, in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and technical partner WRI India.
The Challenge is a 3-year initiative aimed at supporting early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods under the government’s Smart Cities Mission.
With 63 stellar applications for the #NurturingNeighbourhoodsChallenge across India, the evaluation committee couldn’t choose just 20 cities for the cohort.
Introducing 25 cities, chosen for standout applications & pilots to support early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods! (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tPvNrjZ1WZ— WRI Cities India (@WRICitiesIndia) February 18, 2021
Around 63 cities from across India had submitted applications proposing neighbourhood-level pilot projects in public space, mobility, and access to services to enhance the physical and psychological health of young children and their caregivers. The evaluation committee shortlisted 25 cities based on the strength of their applications.
The other cities which have been selected for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ cohort are Agartala, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Dharamshala, Erode, Hubballi-Dharwad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Kota, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruppur, Ujjain, Vadodara, and Warangal.
“The cohort will receive technical assistance, capacity building and scale-up support to experiment, and implement trials and pilots over the next six months to demonstrate early wins, solicit citizen participation, and build consensus around their proposals,” said an official statement.
As per the statement, the cities proposed a diverse array of pilot projects, including creating toddler-friendly walking corridors in residential neighbourhoods, safer commutes to early childhood services for vulnerable young children and caregivers living in urban slums.
Other proposals include- increasing opportunities for nature play and sensory stimulation, adapting underused open spaces within government school grounds into public play areas after school hours.
Besides streets and open spaces, other proposed pilots aim to address the need for early childhood amenities in government office premises, bus shelters and transit hubs; developing Anganwadis with nutri-gardens and age-appropriate play equipment; and transforming outdoor waiting areas for PHCs with shade, seating, and lactation cubicle, the statement added.
(With PIB Inputs)
