Govt signs MoU with Chicago varsity to work on better air quality
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 24
The Delhi government yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with University of Chicago for improving Delhi’s air and water quality and announced Rs 2 crore corpus fund for “Urban Labs Innovation” challenge to be launched on a pilot basis for two months in the national capital.
The centre piece of partnership will be this unique competition - ‘’Urban Labs Innovation Challenge - Delhi’’ which will be launched on December 1.
Ashish Khetan, vice-chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue Commission -an advisory body of the AAP government, said the University would fund the best idea chosen for Delhi. It will provide a minimum fund of Rs 2 crore for the pilot project.
“People can give their ideas on improving air quality of the national capital and persons whose ideas are selected to implement will be given prize money. Different organisation - RWAs, NGOs and experts - also can send their ideas,” Khetan said here.
The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago will provide scientific inputs and rigorously evaluate pilots and prize funding will be provided by the University of Chicago Urban Labs initiative.
The competition website is online at urbanlabsdelhi.Uchicago.in where people can also sign up to stay updated as details are finalised.
“With the technical and financial help from University of Chicago, the Delhi government will open a challenge for all citizens of the country to come forward and pilot their ideas to solve major problem of pollution on a big scale,” Khetan said.
“Although it is undeniable that Delhi faces environmental challenges, there is also significant potential for positive change. Reducing waste burning, enhancing solar energy and cutting back diesel combustion could help clean the air and there is a need to encourage innovative ideas that help achieve these goals,” said Anant Sudarshan, India Executive Director of the Energy Policy Institute at University of Chicago.
