A smart city is not only about cutting-edge technology, gadgets guiding your lifestyle or using ICT (Information and Communications Technology) but also to string together a man-machine interaction that will drive our socio-economic engagement in the society.

India is investing heavily to scale up the current legacy systems to the new generation technologies, whether it is digitalisation initiatives, TCAS or ETCS or the CBTC-based technologies.

Neeraj Nanda, President-South Asia (T&D, Solar), KEC International speaks to INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY in length about the potentials in India's transmission sector. He also advices DISCOMs to enhance their willingness and preparedness to adopt and drive renewable energy.

When phones, TVs, watches and even cities are getting smart, factories too should not be far behind. Gone are the days when factories are imagined to be a large edifice with a loud rumble of machines and a towering column billowing out smoke.

A smart city is not automatically an equitable city unless its leaders take care to make it so. Some critics assert that the entire push to make cities smart is mainly about making life more convenient for the affluent.

Though ubernisation is invading the Indian job market, Sudeep Sen, Head of Industrial and Manufacturing Vertical, TeamLease Services believes that e-commerce, logistics, IoT (Internet of things) and manufacturing are the sectors which will create the maximum number of jobs in India and these sectors will see about 18-20 per cent increase in jobs from the present state.

Greenfield Dholera industrial city is targeting industries such as defence and aero, heavy engineering, auto and auto ancillaries, general manufacturing, pharma and biotechnology, electronics industries, IT and ITES, and agro and food processing. These industries are expected to create around one million job opportunities.

Dubai pointed that out of the focus sectors, education should be given the top priority. Students in India should be have the choice also of international education. Indian education should show confidence in Indian culture.

Maharashtra has always led the countrys industrial development scenario and continues to attract the largest quantum of investments both domestic and foreign.