Speaking at a discussion held in Katugasthota, Minister Hakeem noted that India under a plan of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already begun forming smart cities and the country is on to set up 100 smart cities.

While there is no single definition for a smart city, the purpose of the smart cities is to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling infrastructure development using information technology.

The core infrastructure elements in a smart city would include adequate water supply, uninterrupted electricity supply, proper sanitation, including solid waste management, efficient public transport, affordable housing, good governance, health and education, sustainable environment, and safety and security of citizens.

Minister Hakeem highlighted that Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has granted his approval to commence Kandy North Water Supply Project.

The government has already allocated 3 billion rupees to carry out three major water supply projects in the Kandy district, the Minister revealed.