The India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), an open-source data exchange platform for Indian Smart Cities, announced the adoption of the Indian standards for Unified Data Exchange specified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body of India. In doing so, IUDX has become the first software platform in the country to fully adhere to the Architecture and API Specifications set by the standards’ body for data exchange platforms. The Unified Data Exchange standard – IS 18003, is part of a series of 10 indigenous standards developed by BIS Smart Infrastructural Sectional Committee (LITD 28) for Indian Smart Cities to ensure a secure and sustainable digital infrastructure and to facilitate the implementation of various smart city projects. The foundational standard for this series is IS18000 Unified Digital Infrastructure – ICT Reference Architecture (UDI-ICTRA).

The commerce ministry said it unveiled plans for freight smart cities to improve urban freight efficiency and create an opportunity for reduction in the logistics costs. Under the freight smart cities initiative, city-level logistics committees would be formed, and they will have related government departments and agencies at the local and state levels. These would also include the private sector from the logistics services and users of logistics services, the ministry said in a statement.

States which can install smart prepaid meters before December 2023 will also be eligible for an additional incentive of Rs 450 per meter. According to an office memorandum released by the Union power ministry on the contours of the discom scheme, the new meters are to be installed first in the 500 cities covered under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) programme where aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses — an indicator of pilferage — are greater than 15%.