CM Nitish Kumar: Regional balance ignored in naming Smart Cities

Patna: Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar targeted the central government for ignoring regional balance by not including any city of his state in the list of the first 20 urban centres to be developed as Smart Cities.

“The central government has ignored regional balance for development of Smart Cities in the country,” Nitish Kumar told the media here in his reaction to the non-inclusion of any city of Bihar in the list of Smart Cities.

Nitish Kumar said how the basic idea of regional balance for development of Smart Cities was ignored reflected in the list of the selected names of the cities. “Look at the list to know the neglect to regional balance for the development of such cities.”

Stating it was a decision of the central government to develop Smart Cities, he said the state government has no role in it.

Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Friday blamed the Grand Alliance government led by Nitish Kumar for the non-inclusion of any city of the state in the Smart Cities list.