WASHINGTON, June 15, 2018: The U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative, led by the CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies and the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, is pleased to announce three new projects with the state government of Maharashtra, India, as part of the initiative’s ongoing work.
1. The government of Maharashtra and the Network for Global Innovation (NGIN) will sign an agreement to develop a clean tech incubator ecosystem in the state of Maharashtra to accelerate adoption of sustainable technologies and encourage growth of trade and investment of these technologies. The parties will collaborate on the development and implementation of the “High Performance Innovation Ecosystem,” including planning, funding, build-out, and ongoing operations. The agreement also invites a Maharashtra-based designate of the government to become a member of NGIN.
2. CSIS is also collaborating with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) on research led by two professors—Dr. Usha Nair-Reichert from the School of Economics and Dr. Anjali Thomas Bohlken from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. They will be beginning a pilot study to understand the consumer dynamics of and consumers’ responsiveness to adoption of new technologies in the electricity sector in Maharashtra, India. This pilot study is funded by the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech. CSIS is facilitating collaborations with industry, government, and community groups in India to develop the second phase of this project, which will focus on renewable energy, the adoption of clean technologies, and financial innovations in the power sector in Maharashtra.
3. Pune, Maharashtra, was announced as India’s first Lighthouse City as a result of a Grand Challenge competition launched in 2017 by NITI Aayog and Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Institute. A Lighthouse City has demonstrated that it has smart urban development with population density of greater than 1 million that needs diverse modes of moving people around. The Lighthouse City is supported by an Urban Mobility Lab that in Pune will be initially hosted by the Pune Municipal Corporation starting in August 2018. The lab will advance the design, integration, and implementation of new solutions for complex transportation challenges, as well as how these ideas can be replicated and scaled. The goal: to demonstrate ways to upgrade transportation services to meet the needs of rapidly growing cities, while showing operational efficiency and reduction of pollution, congestion, and petroleum demand.
These announcements were made during the visit of Shri Devendra Fadnavis, honorable chief minister of Maharashtra, to Washington, D.C., when he attended a public forum on June 14 cohosted by the CSIS Wadhwani Chair and the India Initiative at Georgetown University to outline his vision for the state of Maharashtra.
The U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative promotes energy security and energy sector reform through direct engagement between United States and Indian subnational entities; building productive partnerships that can help India achieve its energy goals; and establishing close, sustainable working relationships among Indian subnational officials, their U.S. counterparts, and civil society organizations working in the areas of governance and energy and the private sector. The U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of State.
