<p class="content" style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-size: 8pt;">Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri has underlined the need to support people working in the construction sector though training and skill upgradation. <br />''<br />''The minister of state for housing and urban affairs said a strong transport system is crucial to building smart cities. He was addressing a multi-stakeholder meet to strategise a roadmap for environmentally-sustainable urban development. <br />''<br />''The meet was organised as part of the ongoing thematic sessions in the run-up to World Environment Day on June 5.<br />''<br />''According to an official statement, Mr Puri said India will succeed in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.<br />''<br />''UN Environment Programme Executive Director Erik Solheim said 50 per cent of humans live in cities and hence there is a need to build strong urban infrastructure. <br />''<br />''He said, 40 per cent of the Indian population is expected to live in urban settings by 2030, and India's population is expected to grow to 1.7 billion by 2050. <br />''<br />''Mr Solheim said, with these numbers, it is imperative to devise smart urban solutions that can help achieve the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.</p>''<div><br />''</div>