The Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit began today in the twin cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore inaugurated the summit being organised at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

Delegates and participants from 57 cities across the world and 35 cities from India including 45 Mayors, deputy Mayors of the global cities are participating in the two-day summit.

Speaking on the occasion, Kaushal Kishore said, in the last nine years, the cities have undergone an unprecedented transformation and have become a model of development. He said, U20 is a great opportunity to showcase urban development experience and successful solutions to challenges like rising urbanization.

Mr. Kishore said, for the first time large number of cities are participating in the U-20 summit. The Minister said, it is an important platform for exchange of knowledge between cities at the urban level.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel underlined the need to build sustainable and climate-resilient cities to tackle the growing challenges of urbanization and climate. The Chief Minister also talked about a series of ambitious projects of urban planning in Gujarat including  GIFT City, DREAM City.

More than 45 Mayors and Deputy Mayors from across the world and about 35 Mayors from Indian cities are participating in the Summit.