On September 1, 2022, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) presented Smart Solutions Challenge & Inclusive Cities Awards 2022 which are an initiative of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the United Nations (UN) in India to address city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges faced by persons with disabilities (PwD), women and girls, and the elderly.
Smart Solutions and Inclusive Cities Awards 2022:
These were launched in April 2022 to promote people-centric design and indigenous technological innovations and solutions. Over 100 entries were received through an open call for applications, out of which the top 10 technology-based innovations in 3 categories were identified as winning solutions by an eminent 7-member jury panel.
i.In the category of early-stage innovations, the winner was a wearable technology product, Fifth Sense by Glovatrix Pvt. Ltd., that translates sign language gestures to speech and text using sensors and AI.
ii.In the second category of market-ready solutions, Mouseware by Dextroware Devices Pvt. Ltd. was the winner. Mouseware is a head-wearable device that enables hands-free control of computers and smart gadgets.
iii.In the 3rd category of Implemented Solutions, Multi-Dimensional Inclusiveness: Using Advanced Technologies for Education and Literacy by Belagavi Smart City Ltd won the top prize. This system enables those with disabilities to access education and healthcare.
Here is the list of winners:
| Rank | Winners |
|---|---|
| Category 1: Early-stage Innovations | |
| 1 | Fifth Sense by Glovatrix Pvt. Ltd |
| 2 | Digital Mobility Subsidy by Ola Mobility Institute |
| 3 | AxcesAble Places by AxcesAble Designs LLP |
| Category 2: Market-ready Solutions | |
| 1 | Mouseware by Dextroware Devices |
| 2 | Signer.AI by Incluistic Pvt. Ltd. / Friends for Inclusion |
| 3 | IncluMaps by Vikas Upadhyay, Research Scholar, IIT Delhi |
| Category 3: Implemented Solutions | |
| 1 | Multi-Dimensional Inclusiveness: Using Advanced Technologies for Education and Literacy by Belagavi Smart City Ltd. |
| 2 | myUDAAN by Tekra Solutions Pvt. Ltd. |
| 3 | ‘Moving with Pride’ (Mo Bus and Mo E-Ride) by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), Odisha |
| 4 | Nirbhaya App by Sagar Smart City Ltd. |
Key Points:
i.The above solutions will help in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 11.7 to provide safe, inclusive & accessible, green & public spaces for all vulnerable communities.
ii.India expanded the list of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21 after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 which states India has a higher number of people living with some form of disability.
iii.A ‘Compendium of Smart and Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive & Accessible Urban Future’ was also launched. The compendium compiles selected solutions that were shortlisted for Phase 2 of the evaluation process, to document and disseminate information about the available technological innovations and good practices within India which can further be used as a resource by urban practitioners in cities and countries across the world.
- The compendium developed by NIUA and the UN India is a collection of 40 cutting-edge digital/tech solutions that will support the decision-makers and urban practitioners to promote accessibility and inclusion of everyone.
Other Participants:
The UN Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp, the Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Smart City Mission, MoHUA, Kunal Kumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Recent Related News:
i.The Open Data Week was conducted during the third week of January, from 17th to 21st January 2022, by the Smart Cities Mission(SCM), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to encourage the adoption of open data and promote innovation across India’s urban ecosystem.
ii.Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched project NIPUN (National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers) , an initiative of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Union Minister– Hardeep Singh Puri (Rajya Sabha Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Kaushal Kishore (Constituency- Mohanlalganj, Uttar Pradesh)
