Panaji secured its position as one of the 18 winning cities out of 100 in the CITIIS 2.0 Challenge, a national initiative promoting innovative and sustainable urban development. The victorious proposal, ‘Amchi Swachh Panaji-Ensuring Zero Landfill for a Thriving Panaji,’ emerged from the collaborative efforts of Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd. (IPSCDL), led by Sanjit Rodrigues, MD and CEO, along with Sameeuddin Sheikh, Siddhant Vernekar, Sachin Ambe, and Alisa Sahu. Rodrigues expressed pride in Panaji’s waste management plan, stating it goes beyond mere collection, envisioning a circular economy and positioning the city as a global ‘Model Best-Practitioner’ in sustainable waste management.
The proposal aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s LiFE initiative, promoting sustainable practices globally. Panaji aspires to become a landfill-free city, encouraging citizens to adopt a ‘Yes, In My Backyard’(YIMBY) perspective by segregating and treating waste at the source. The city aims to strengthen its 16-way segregation initiative, integrating a unique waste purchase model for comprehensive waste treatment.
Launched in November 2023, CITIIS 2.0 focuses on climate action through a circular economy approach to integrated waste management. The challenge, conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU), and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), offers significant financial and technical assistance to the winning cities.
