At the 6th Elets Urban Innovation Summit, held on 13th March 2026 at the Taj Hotel, Chandigarh, Amneet P. Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Future & Civil Aviation, Government of Haryana, shared forward-looking suggestions on building cities that are smart, resilient, and inclusive. Her perspective emphasized the need for governments to evolve beyond conventional planning and adopt a more anticipatory and technology-driven approach.

Future-Oriented and Integrated Governance

She highlighted the importance of institutionalizing a “Department of Future” framework to enable long-term thinking in governance. Such a mechanism allows governments to anticipate risks and evaluate the impact of emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and robotics on public systems and service delivery.

Rather than treating planning as a short-term exercise, she suggested that future planning should be embedded within budgetary allocations and departmental strategies, ensuring that every sector, from agriculture to urban development, considers long-term implications. She also pointed out that Haryana has taken a proactive step by allocating significant resources toward future planning and building structured templates for departments to assess upcoming challenges.

Technology-Driven and Citizen-Centric Governance

Highlighting the importance of technology, she said that tools like AI and data systems can make governance more efficient, especially in improving public services, safety, and city management. However, she emphasized that these technologies should always be used in a way that benefits citizens and remains inclusive for all.

She further underlined the need to break departmental silos and adopt integrated systems for better decision-making. A key suggestion was to use data not just for collection but for actionable insights, enabling governments to improve public services while ensuring transparency and accountability.

Urban Planning with a Human and Demographic Lens

A significant part of her suggestions focused on how cities must be designed keeping in mind the changing demographic structure, including both an expanding youth population and a growing ageing population.

She emphasized that urban planning should ensure:

• Availability of essential services like healthcare, education, and social infrastructure
• Development of inclusive public spaces for all age groups
• Strong focus on safety, especially for women, children, and senior citizens
• Preservation of city character while accommodating expansion

She also pointed out the importance of regional coordination in urban development, especially in interconnected urban clusters, where planning must transcend administrative boundaries and focus on integrated growth.

Data Governance, Privacy, and Ethical Use

Addressing the growing reliance on data in governance, she strongly advocated for robust data protection mechanisms. She explained that while governments collect vast amounts of citizen data, it is crucial to ensure that this data is handled ethically and securely.

Key suggestions included:

• Strengthening data privacy and security protocols
• Avoiding data silos and enabling secure integration across departments
• Establishing expert committees to guide ethical data use
• Ensuring transparency in how citizen data is utilized

She stressed that data, whether related to health, finance, or daily services, is sensitive and must be treated with the highest level of responsibility.

Also Read: Reframing Urban Growth Through Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable and Future-Ready Urban Development

In her vision for the next two decades, she emphasized aligning urban growth with sustainable development principles. Cities must focus on green infrastructure, efficient mobility, and environmentally responsible planning while ensuring long-term livability.

She also stated that development strategies should align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and be continuously refined through departmental planning and monitoring. This ensures that urban growth remains balanced, resilient, and capable of addressing future challenges.

Through her insights, Amneet P. Kumar underscored that the future of cities depends on a balanced approach, one that integrates technology, sustainability, governance, and human-centric design to create truly livable and future-ready urban environments.

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