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Sweden keen on India’s smart city projects
New Delhi: Fourteen Swedish companies, including the famed Volvo Group, are showcasing their technologies at the three-day Smart City Expo here concluding on Friday.
Sweden is the official partner country at the expo.
“The embassy of Sweden and Business Sweden in India are participating with a number of ministries of the government of India for Smart Cities India 2015,” the Swedish embassy said in a statement here.
Inaugurating Sweden’s pavilion, Swedish ambassador Harald Sandberg said: “Sweden can assist by bringing the best Swedish technologies in key areas like energy efficiency, smart grids, traffic safety and transport, information and communication, water supply and sanitation, waste management and urban planning among others.”
“Sweden has ‘SymbioCity’, the trademarked term for Sweden’s approach to sustainable urban development, which can provide a blueprint for the smart city concept. Sweden can undertake pilot projects to assist India to develop favourable policies,” he added.
The participating companies are Blueair, Cale Access, Cleanmotion, Clima Check, Envac, Form Consult, FOV Biogas, HiNation, Mimer Energy, NeoZeo, Opcon, Scania, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group.
A senior Swedish official told reporters here on Wednesday that Sweden is keen to partner with Indian companies to build smart cities through public-private partnership (PPP) in states like Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.
“Rather than adopting cities in India, we will work on actual PPP model, wherein we will bring in Swedish expertise and world class state-of-the-art knowledge and investment,” said Anna Liberg, Trade Commissioner to India, Business Sweden India and South Asia.
Early signing of a pending memorandum of understanding (MOU) on an urban development framework between the two countries is expected to facilitate greater collaboration, she added.
“There are 150 Swedish companies in India and the number is growing. A considerable number of them is in the field of urban development under the umbrella of smart cities. We are very strong in that,” the Swedish official said.
The India-Sweden two-way trade in 2014-15 was worth nearly $2.4 billion.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.