Visakhapatnam, Feb 13 (IANS): The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and Andhra Pradesh government on Friday signed an MoU for developing Visakhapatnam as a smart city.

The USTDA signed the MoU with the department of municipal administration on funding for drawing up master plan for Visakhapatnam smart city.

Leaders in the smart grid arena AECOM, IBM and KPMG will provide Vizag with a planning framework and development strategy for several high-priority investment projects for smarter urban development.

The agreement was signed by Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration, Karikal Velavan and USTDA country manager Heather K. Lanigan in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, USTDA director Leocadia I Zak and US Ambassador to India Richard Verma.

The MoU will advance Visakhapatnam's efforts to make it more efficient and sustainable through the development of interconnected infrastructure, communications and data systems.

Vizag was one of the 20 cities named by the central government last month under the first phase of smart cities programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said Vizag would be developed into one of the finest smart cities in the country with the assistance of the US. He said the project offer great opportunities for the US companies.

"We are proud of our cooperation with the state government of Andhra Pradesh and the important role our partnership will play in advancing one of India's highest economic development priorities.A By bringing together the right private sector expertise and a committed partner, the opportunities for growth are limitless," said Zak.

This cooperation is one component of a multi-faceted effort by USTDA to support the development of smart cities in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.