A Smart Grid for India: Shaping the Future for Urban Innovation

Smart Cities are the future of urban development, incorporating computational advancements and renewable energy sources. Bharat Exhibitions organized the 2ND Safe City and Intelligent Mobility India 2024 on 22nd of August, 2024 at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi. The benchmark summit and exhibition on urban development, is a hub where executives, city representatives and academics from around the world meet to accelerate a better future for our cities. The summit showcased the integration of transformative technologies with the key pillars of urban development, i.e., Green Buildings, Rooftop Solar, Renewable & Clean energy, Clean Environment, Clean Water, Water Conservation, Urban Mobility, and the use of Smart ICT solutions for optimizing resources that make cities smart and sustainable. 

Special Guest of Honour, Shri A. Robert J. Ravi, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited said, “The Government of India is empowered to go one step ahead to make India smart, i.e, our villages. We have identified 10 villages and have developed means to make them fully digitized. The IOT and 5G are useful making our Rural Bharat compatible and competable. Automated ATM systems can be centralized in villages. Use of metaverse is also being considered. Creating a smart grid for the country is the pivotal matter. The Govt of India is committed in this regard and is making strides in the right direction”. 

“Delhi Police has been actively in ITMS since long time now. Now with the arrival of AI, ITMS has gained more prominence now. Real time data analysis is a reality now. Road space can be optimally utilized. Minimum time of stops, minimum waiting period and traffic should be smooth. ITMS is hugely useful in restricting accidents. Parking management should be made a premier facility in the country. People’s trust and confidence on us is also very important,” Shri B. Shanker Jaiswal, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police (Technology, Cyber & Licensing), Delhi Police said in his address said, who joined as a Guest of Honour. 

Shri Manoj Tandon, Director (Project, Operations & Maintenance), RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. who in his Special Address quoted, “There is significant move from safe city to liveable cities. Safe city has gained prominence due to mainly migration. It’s a very evolving concept, new technologies will add more value to the concept in the years to come. Healthcare and Municipal areas are key areas to look upon. Moreover, bottlenecks in traffic infra needs to be removed in the concept of Intelligent Mobility for the country”.

Mr. Prashant Oberoi, Director, India & SAARC, Norden Communication, in his speech said, “Norden, a trailblazer in enabling technology and artificial intelligence (AI) for smart cities, is transforming traffic management with cutting-edge technology. Leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics, Norden’s solutions enhance safety, reduce congestion, and optimize urban mobility.”

Mr. Ravi Kumar CK, AVP – Business Development, Videonetics was quoted, “At Videonetics, our mission is to transform urban safety through the power of advanced technologies and innovation. As leaders in the Safe City vertical, our True AI-powered Video Management solutions enable cities to elevate public security, accelerate emergency response, and foster safer communities. By leveraging True AI-enabled video analytics and seamless integrations, we are not merely addressing today’s challenges-we are actively crafting the safer cities of the future.” 

Mr. Arvind Saxena, CMO, NEC Corporation India and Head- Marketing, Global Smart City, NEC Corporation said, “NEC has been actively involved in changing the smart city demographics in the country. We have presence from sea to space. We are part of the Adhaar project, and many digital programs in India. We have presence on more than 15 plus smart cities in India. 1st safe city, Surat is done by NEC. Smart mobility is also touched by us, the DiGiYatra program is an initiative taken up by NEC and is hugely welcomed by the public”.

Mr. Shashi Dharan, Managing Director, Bharat Exhibitions in his welcome note said, “Ensuring seamless mobility in the future will require networked transportation and information systems that encompass all modes of transport. The focus now is on EV and its gaining ground. India is already ramping up the Green Portfolio, as electric car launches to charge up Indian streets this year! India will see a flurry of SUV launches, within the next 6 to 8 months!” 

A Deloitte White Paper Report titled, “Smart Urban Mobility in India- Revolutionising urban transport for sustainable and resilient growth through innovative technology” was also released during the event.”

Mr. Vivek Mittal, Executive Director, Deloitte India during his speech said, “The current mobility ecosystem is not fully equipped to cater to the growing need of travel demand in a sustainable manner. Smart Mobility has the potential to fundamentally transform the urban mobility ecosystem by enhancing efficiency through data analytics and AI driven solutions to make it energy efficient, cost effective, and modern to reshape the future of urban mobility.”

Mr. Anand Bhaskar, CEO & Co-Founder, Digital Blanket, in his address quoted, “Sustainability is at the core of what makes cities truly smart, and Digital Blanket is committed to making decarbonization a priority, not just an option. Our cutting-edge technology empowers cities to achieve their environmental goals while enhancing operational performance. Through our collaborations with over 100 companies, we’ve seen how technology can rapidly accelerate decarbonization, paving the way for a sustainable and smarter urban landscape. Our AI-driven solutions, tailored for Builders & Operators, Corporate Offices & GCCs, Hospitals, and Hotels, have helped clients cut energy consumption, optimize building system management, and streamline ESG reporting. Together, we are building a future where real estate and the environment coexist and flourish.” 

Other eminent speakers who spoke during the summit and highlighted the technical aspects of smart cities and its relevance were Dr. Sumit D. Chowdhury, Founder, Chairman & MD, Gaia Smart Cities, Mr. Parikshit Tiwari, Associate Director (Sales), Norden Communication, Mr. Ravi Kumar CK, AVP – Business Development, Videonetics, Dr. Chinmay Hegde, Managing Director, Astrikos.AI, Mr. Bikas Jha, Vice President & Head (Public Sector Sales), AWIROS, Mr. Gurinder Singh, Technical Head – India & SAARC, Netskope, Mr. Amit Mehta, DGM – Government Vertical, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Mr. Anand Navani, Country Head – India & SAARC, Intellicene, Mr. Avi Dahiya, Founder and CEO, Twyn, Dr. Shiv Kumar, Director General, ITS India Forum, Mr. Saurabh Agarwal, CEO, TechBridge, Mr. Arul Prathan Singh, Director, Madras Security Printers, Mr. Rahul Sawardekar, Head Business – Traffic & Enforcement, Ador Powertron and Mr. Om Krishan Singh, Scientist D/Joint Director, MeitY, Govt. of India, Mr. Saket Mehta, Director, Deloitte India, Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Director, CSIR – Central Road Research Institute, Mr. Dinesh Chand Sharma, Director – Standards & Public Policy, SESEI, Dr. Chinmay Hegde, Managing Director, Astrikos.AI, Mr. A.S. Pandey, AGM (IT) & CISO, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. And Mr. Vishvatosh Pandey, Regional Technical Lead (North & East), Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. 

The summit was partnered and supported by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, SMART CITY MISSION, Deloitte, Norden Communication, Videonetics, NEC, Digital Blanket, Astrikos.Ai, Awiros, Netskope, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Intellicene, TechBridge Consultancy Services, Twyn, Ador Powertron, Madras Security Printers, Techspire, Commrax Networks, Khushi Communications and Communications Today.