Night shot of Kohima. Kohima made it to the top 25 cities in the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge cohort- a three years initiative aimed at supporting early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods under the Government’s Smart Cities Mission. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | February 19
In yet another feat, Kohima made it to the top 25 cities in the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge cohort- a three years initiative aimed at supporting early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods under the Government’s Smart Cities Mission.
This was informed in a statement issued by Kovi Meyase, CEO, Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL). Kohima was selected alongside Agartala, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Dharamshala, Erode, Hubballi-Dharwad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kota, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Rourkela, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruppur, Ujjain, Vadodara, and Warangal.
The Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge is an initiative hosted by the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation and its technical partner WRI India. The Challenge will enable Indian cities to adopt an early childhood lens in designing neighbourhood-level improvements that promote the health and well-being of young children and their caregivers.
Over the next six months, the cohort will receive technical assistance, capacity building and scale-up support to experiment, and implement trials and pilots in order to demonstrate early wins, solicit citizen participation, and build consensus around their proposals.
Speaking to The Morung Express, KSCDL CEO Kovi Meyase informed that five pilot project locations has been earmarked for the Nurturing Neighborhoods Challenge: Two projects at Forest colony, two at MT Garage New Reserve and one project in High School Highland park.
“After the first stage, top 10 cities will be selected from the 25 cities. These top 10 cities will get assistance to scale up the pilot intervention into other parts of the city, get exposure trips at national and international levels where the case of our city as child friendly city will be shared at national and international scenario as best practice,” stated Meyase.
Once selected among the Top 10, Kohima will get assistance from the Ministry to implement its identified pilot projects.
The Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge was launched on November 4, 2020, inviting the participation from all Smart Cities, capitals of States and UTs, and other cities with a population of above 5 lakhs. During the three-month application period, over 100 cities were engaged through remote or in-person discussions and online capacity-building workshops under the Nurturing Neighbourhood Challenge.
The first stage of the Challenge involved an open call for applications from city agencies and closed on February 7 2021. 63 cities from across India submitted applications proposing neighbourhood-level pilot projects in public space, mobility, and access to services to enhance the physical and psychological health of young children and their caregivers. From the list of applicant cities, the evaluation committee chose 25 cities based on the strength of their applications.
Cities proposed a diverse array of pilot projects, including creating toddler-friendly walking corridors in residential neighbourhoods; safer commutes to early childhood services for vulnerable young children and caregivers living in urban slums; increasing opportunities for nature play and sensory stimulation; and adapting underused open spaces within government school grounds into public play areas after school hours. Besides streets and open spaces, other proposed pilots aim to address the need for early childhood amenities in government office premises, bus shelters and transit hubs; developing Anganwadis with nutrigardens and age-appropriate play equipment; and transforming outdoor waiting areas for PHCs with shade, seating, and lactation cubicles.
Under its prime objective of inclusive development, the Government of India aims to enhance opportunities in urban areas for all vulnerable citizens, especially young children.
“By engaging cities to shape healthier urban environments for early childhood, the Challenge has refocused attention on the importance of neighbourhood-level interventions. This approach is well-aligned with the strategy of the Smart Cities Mission to promote inclusive, people-oriented development in compact, local areas towards scaling city-wide solutions that enhance our citizens’ quality of life. We are proud to see cities across India stepping up to the challenge and demonstrating their commitment to adopt more sensitive urban planning and design that addresses the needs and aspirations of millions of young children and their families,” stated Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA.
