Varanasi to be transformed into Kyoto-like ‘smart city’
Abenomics meets Modinomics in a deal between our PM Narendra Modi and the Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Osaka on Saturday and, within hours, oversaw the signing of a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. This MoU is meant to turn Varanasi into a ‘smart city’ with the help from Kyoto.
This deal is in line with Modi’s vision of building 100 ‘smart cities’ across India. Under the smart heritage cities programme, Kyoto will provide cooperation in the fields of conservation and modernisation of the cities, as well as art, culture and academics.
While Kyoto and Kashi (Varanasi) share many similarities historically, the irony is that there is a wide gap in where they stand today. This move will be great for the nation as we can hope to elevate from the status of a developing nation to a developed nation.
If we look at the similarities between Kyoto and Kashi, then we will be mesmerised. Kyoto is called the city of ten thousand shrines, while Varanasi boasts of numerous temples and ghats. Kyoto has been the imperial capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years, while Varanasi is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Both the cities also have rivers flowing alongside them.
However the differences as we see today are in every sphere of life. Kyoto has modernised while keeping its old city, temples and monuments alive. Unfortunately Varanasi has remained in its past glory and the haphazard growth has contributed to the chaos of the city. Kyoto’s streets are wide and clean, with magnificent tree-lined boulevards. Varanasi’s squalor and narrow roads have prompted the PM to resolve to clean up the city. And the state of the Ganga river with its dilapidated ghats and polluted water nowhere match the state of the Yodo, Kamogawa and Katsura rivers and Late Biwa canal of Kyoto.
Source- The Indian Express
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Ganga river, Kash, Kyoto, modernisation of the cities, Modinomics, Modi’s vision, MoU, Smart City, Varanasi
