Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remarked that there is a need to build our cities with multimodal transport systems that efficiently integrate different modes of public transport like buses and trains.

   He said the Urban Development Ministry has taken several initiatives to promote sustainable transport practices in the country. He said this while laying foundation stone for the Kochi metro rail project.

   These include support to Metro rail projects, Bus Rapid Transit Systems and sanction of city buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

   The first phase of JNNURM, a programme aimed at improving living standards in urban areas, has been completed, Singh said. The government is in the process of redesigning JNNURM to make it more effective, Union Minister Kumari Selja said during the occasion.

   The government is in the process of redesigning JNNURM to make it more attractive and more effective. Since its start, JNNURM has sanctioned 1.6 million housing units, Selja said at the three-day global investor meet 'Emerging Kerala'.