Officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation at the two-day workshop on Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot programme in Vijayawada on Monday.

| Photo Credit: G.N. Rao

Nearly 120 participants, including policymakers, urban practitioners, technical experts, and city representatives discussed strategies related to municipal solid waste management, reducing carbon emissions, and low-carbon urban development at a two-day workshop on Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot (SCIAP) project in Vijayawada on Monday (June1). The participants shared their experiences, lessons and deliberated on pathways for integrated climate action in Indian cities.The workshop was inaugurated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Director Surabhi Malik. It is organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in association with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC).Ms. Surabhi Malik highlighted the importance of integrated urban approaches in promoting sustainable and climate-resilient city development.Later, VMC Commissioner Dhyanachandra H.M. said that the VMC has been implementing several best practices, in areas including sanitation, solid waste management, door-to-door waste collection, waste segregation at source, public participation initiatives, improved performance in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, development of parks, urban greening, conservation of lakes and canals, and the promotion of renewable energy.Municipal Administration and Urban Development Commissioner P. Sampath Kumar, Guntur Municipal Corporation Commissioner K. Mayur Ashok, and other officials participated.The event also featured special recorded messages from Cristiano Pasini, Director and Representative for the Sub-Regional Office, Riccardo Savigliano, Chief of the Energy Systems and Industrial Decarbonisation Unit at UNIDO Headquarters, Vienna, and Aloke Barnawal, Programme Lead, Sustainable Cities, Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat. Published - June 01, 2026 08:15 pm IST