NEW DELHI: The Cabinet of the Government of India approved a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with Japan in the field of sustainable urban development on Wednesday, June 2. This MoC is expected to create multiple employment opportunities in the areas of sustainable urban development, urban planning, development of smart cities, urban disaster management, affordable housing, waste water management, and urban transport.
An official statement from GoI said that the MoC is to be signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, GoI, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan. The new agreement will be in supersession of an existing MoU of 2007 on urban development between the two nations. It will further promote strong, deep and long-term bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development between the two countries
The Moc is aiming to enable exchange of key learnings and best practices in areas of sustainable development. GoI stated that a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be officially constructed to strategize and implement programmes on cooperation under the framework of the MoC. The JWG will meet once in a year, alternatively in India and in Japan.