Bengaluru, Faridabad, Indore and Hyderabad figure among the 36 cities across the world that have agreed to pioneer a roadmap for safely adopting new technology as part of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance.
In a statement on Tuesday, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said COVID-19 is accelerating adoption of new technologies by cities as governments struggle to manage the growing pandemic with constrained resources.
The statement said the WEF has selected 36 cities from 22 countries and six continents to pioneer a new global policy roadmap for smart cities developed by the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance.
Apart from Bengaluru, Faridabad, Indore and Hyderabad, cities such as London, Moscow, Toronto, Brasilia, Dubai and Melbourne have also been selected.
The "pioneer cities" launched their activities on Tuesday at a global event broadcast by the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world's premier smart cities event.
Participating in the event, Telangana Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and Information Technology, Electronics and Communication KT Rama Rao said, "We are keen to collaborate with the G20 cities in formulating policy frameworks to improve the quality of life of our citizens using emerging technologies."
The alliance has recruited a group of 36 "pioneer cities" that will collaborate with global experts to enhance their city policies in areas ranging from privacy protection and cyber security to better services for differently-abled people and a better broadband coverage, the statement said.