The three-day Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Exhibition 2024, held at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, from October 25 to 27, concluded today. Hon’ble Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Power, Shri Manohar Lal, along with Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu, Minister of Finance and Energy of Gujarat, Shri Kanubhai Desai, Minister of Housing and Urban Development of Odisha, Shri K.C. Mohapatra, and Secretary of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Srinivas R. Katikithala, attended the event.

In his address during the valedictory session, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal emphasized that, under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India now ranks third globally in terms of operational rail networks. He added that India’s metro network is set to become the world’s second largest soon. The Minister also stated that urban mobility goes beyond merely transporting people; it involves creating systems that enhance citizens' quality of life.

Shri Manohar Lal highlighted the Prime Minister’s vision of “One Nation, One Card,” known as the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). This initiative, now adopted by most metros across India, is expected to be transformative for the urban mobility sector.

Union MoS, Housing and Urban Affairs,  Shri Tokhan Sahu praised the annual UMI conference, which has addressed urban mobility challenges in India since 2008. He expressed delight at the recent milestone of surpassing 10 million daily metro commuters in the country and reiterated the Prime Minister’s commitment to “Viksit Bharat 2047.”

The 7th UMI Exhibition 2024, organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in partnership with the Institute of Urban Transport (India) and with the support of the Government of Gujarat and Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., was also a highlight of the event. Showcasing urban transport best practices from India and abroad, the exhibition featured the latest in urban transport technology and attracted over 2,200 delegates, including more than 50 international participants. With 76 exhibitors from the metro rail sector and public and private organizations—67 from India and 17 from countries such as Germany, France, and Spain—the event offered a major platform for both domestic and foreign manufacturers.

During the valedictory session, awards were presented to state and city authorities for “Excellence in Urban Transport.” Award categories and recipients included:

Sl. No.	Award Category	Winner
		City	Organisation
1	City with the Most Sustainable Transport System	Kochi	Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
2	City with the Best Public Transport System	Bhubaneswar	Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT)
3	City with the Best Non-Motorized Transport System	Srinagar	Srinagar Smart City Ltd.
4	City with the Best Safety and Security System & Record	Gandhinagar	Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation
5	City with the Best Intelligent Transport System (ITS)	Surat	Surat Municipal Corporation
6	City with the Most Innovative Financing Mechanism	Jammu	Jammu Smart City Ltd.
7	City with Best Record of Public Involvement in Transport	Bengaluru	Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation
8	Metro Rail with the Best Multimodal Integration	Bengaluru	Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
9	Metro Rail with the Best Passenger Services and Satisfaction	Mumbai	Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd.

Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, also announced Gurugram, Haryana, as the venue for the 18th UMI Conference & Exhibition 2025.

This year’s conference focused on the theme “Standardization and Optimization of Urban Transport Solutions,” aiming to harmonize standards for optimizing urban mobility in India. Discussions covered integrating various urban mobility modes, multilateral and bilateral funding in alignment with the Make in India policy, the role of big data in transport planning, the e-bus ecosystem in India, benchmarking metro system costs, digital public infrastructure, innovative financing, and other urban transport challenges. The conference also explored visions for clean-air cities, urban freight, and tailored urban transport solutions for small and medium-sized towns in India, underscoring the need to optimize and standardize urban transport solutions for efficient and effective systems.

AP/GP/JD

(Release ID: 2068708)