THOOTHUKUDI: Thoothukudi Corporation has won third place in the Social Aspects Category of the India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2022, for developing Smart classrooms and e-monitoring. The announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The contest, which was conducted under the project award environment section, monitored the utilisation of the Smart Cities Mission funds towards infrastructure projects, including riverfront/lakefront developments, and the promotion of inclusivity of urban spaces.
Of the 85 proposals from 51 cities under the Social Aspect category, Thoothukudi Corporation came in the third position shared by Raipur, for developing smart classrooms and e-monitoring. Vadodara and Agra won the first and second positions.
The Social Aspect Category looks into the projects of upgradation of education (government school infrastructure, digital libraries), healthcare systems, housing and shelter, and developments in slum areas.
Thoothukudi Corporation Commissioner Dinesh Kumar told TNIE that the corporation developed smart features in five corporation-run schools using Smart City Mission and CSR funding, accounting for a total estimated cost of `9.24 crore. "As many as 37 smart classrooms have been equipped with smart components such as smart boards, projectors, biometric attendance devices, and audio-visual displays, besides 16 restrooms, 6 labs, 3 libraries, and 3 auditoriums. In order to provide access to smart digital infrastructure, as many as 1,000 tabs were also distributed to the higher secondary students free of cost," he noted.
Speaking to TNIE, Thoothukudi Corporation Mayor NP Jegan Periyasamy said the ISAC Award 2022 for the development of educational infrastructure has brought them national recognition. It is obviously the result of the impetus of the Dravidian model of governance by Chief Minister MK Stalin, Jegan added.
It may be noted that Tamil Nadu had won the second place in ISAC 2022: State Awards. Similarly, Coimbatore city won first place in model roads, restoration, and rejuvenation of lakes under the Built Environment Category, while Thanjavur won third place for its works towards the conservation of Ayyankulam Pond as a heritage site under the Culture Category. Coimbatore city also won the zonal smart city awards in the south zone under the category of Cities with Population Greater Than 10 lakh. President of India Droupadi Murmu will present the awards on September 27 and 28 at Indore.