On Friday, May 4, Viable Cities received a visit from a delegation from India led by Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The visit took place within the framework of a working meeting in Sweden focusing on the cooperation agreement between Sweden and India in the field of sustainable urban development since 2015. Among the responsibilities of Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra is the Smart Cites Mission, which India is undertaking to create 99 smart cities.The interest in cooperation between India and Sweden on smart and sustainable cities has also been strengthened by the innovation partnership recently signed between the two countries. The innovation partnership was signed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén during the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Sweden in mid-April. This was the first time in 30 years that Sweden was visited by a head of state from India. At the end of April, Sweden's innovation agency Vinnova was also commissioned by the government to support innovation cooperation with India in the field of smart cities - "We had a very interesting exchange with the Indian delegation," says research strategist Charlie Gullström from the Viable Cities program office. "I see that there are very good conditions for deeper cooperation between Sweden and India on smart and sustainable cities, where Viable Cities can be an important platform.
