New Delhi: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with I for Humanity Foundation to enable the development of accessible and inclusive cities for more diverse user groups such as the elderly, handicapped, women and children under the government’s Smart Cities Mission.
The signing took place on Thursday at the MoHUA in Delhi. The MoU was signed by Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary- Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA, and Mrs Juuhi Rajput, Founder of I for Humanity Foundation in the presence of other officials.
Aligned with India’s ‘Accessible India Campaign’ (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, this initiative supports barrier-free urban development for persons with disabilities. It reflects a commitment of Indian cities towards advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and setting a global example for accessibility and inclusivity.
‘Accessible Cities’ is an initiative launched by I for Humanity Foundation through its platform ‘Alliance for Inclusion and Accessibility’, which aims to invite, motivate and guide 100 cities under the Smart Cities Mission in implementing universal design principles in their infrastructural projects. The includes inter alia, residential & commercial buildings, public spaces, streets, parks, open and recreational spaces, etc. and also, making the existing built environment in cities more accessible and inclusive in due course of time.
In the initial phase, the focus of the initiative will be on shortlisting cities and creating awareness by organizing a training session on universal design specifications in the built environment involving different stakeholders including Mayors, City Leaders, Municipal Corporations, RERA, Smart Cities, ULBs, Housing Department, PWD, Development Authorities, Department of Country & Town Planning, etc. The second stage will focus on creating an institutional mechanism to ensure the compliance of design and standards in all the future projects.
Mrs. Juuhi Rajput stated that ‘Accessible Bharat’ certification for accessibility in various infrastructural projects will be awarded to the projects developed in compliance with universal design principles and standards. She also emphasized that this is a first-of-its-kind certification in the world to motivate different stakeholders who can contribute significantly to make the built environment accessible and inclusive.
Shri Rahul Kapoor, JS & Mission Director- Smart Cities Mission, appreciated the initiative taken by I for Humanity Foundation and said that the Mission is committed towards taking all necessary actions required to make 100 cities accessible and inclusive, and setting a precedent for other cities to follow.
