Urban affairs institute holds consultation to make roadmap towards 'inclusive' Varanasi

The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) on Thursday organised a city stakeholder consultation in Varanasi to create a collaborative and participatory roadmap towards the vision of ''Sugamya Kashi'' (Inclusive Varanasi).

The consultation, held in partnership with the Varanasi Smart City Ltd (VSCL), was aimed to engage with relevant stakeholders, the institute said in a statement.

It apprised them of the progress of the Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian Cities (BASIIC) programme and ongoing city engagement activities being implemented for disability inclusion, it said.

''The effort was to also sensitise stakeholders and mainstream the dialogue on disability inclusion across policy and project interventions and facilitating technical assistance to the city beyond the BASIIC programme timeline,'' it added.

Hitesh Vaidya, director, NIUA, elaborated on the unique character of the ''oldest living city'' and its aspiration towards an ''inclusive innovation plan'' during the event.

He, according to the statement, also emphasised the importance of accessibility and inclusion for the city in its endeavours of ''rejuvenation of ghats, riverfronts, heritage sites, temples and other water bodies to become a world-class spiritual and cultural destination''.

Beside key nodal officials from various government agencies in the city including - Varanasi Nagar Nigam, Development Authority and Tourism department -- the programme was also attended by Minister Counsellor of the UK government Katy Budge who congratulated the leadership of VSCL for its efforts in making Varanasi more accessible for its citizens and visitors.

Budge during the event also emphasized the need of staying connected, learning from each other and learning from disability people organisations and keeping the topic of ''inclusion'' in the spotlight always.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)