In his discussion with Abbas Akhoundi, Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, Naidu was requested by the Iranian side to set up a taskforce for upgrading the slums in both the countries and help the two nations exchange experience and transfer technology.
It was also decided to consider a workshop for Iranian officials for slum redevelopment, smart cities, etc, the statement said.
During the meeting with Bangladesh's Minister of Housing & Public Works Mosharaf Hossain, Bangladesh floated the idea of raising fund from Asia-Pacific countries for development in slum areas.
Naidu appreciated the idea in principle. He, however, said that it need to be discussed internally first. He also pointed out that multilateral agencies such as World Bank, ADB and BRIC Bank should provide cheaper credit for such causes. In his discussion with Mohamed Muizzu, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure of Maldives, Naidu raised the issue of cancelling the contract of GMR for Male Airport and conveyed the feeling of disappointment in India, it said.
Dr Joan Clos, Executive Director and Under Secretary General UN-Habitat in his meeting with the minister raised the need to address urbanisation issues. He enquired about hosting of Habitat III and next Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) Conference by India. The Minister indicated his willingness to host the next Conference in India in 20
