Dharamshala is administrative headquarters of Kangra district and is located 18 km North- East of Kangra. The town is located on the foothills of Dhauladhar Range. It was founded by the Britishers and used as a cantonment for troops in the year of 1849. Dharamshala is abode of his Holiness of Dalai Lama ever since he left Tibet in 1959. Dharamshala Municipality was one of the oldest Municipality in Himachal Pradesh and established in the year of 1867.

Key Features of Dharamshala

• Dharamshala is an Administrative Head-Quarter of Kangra district and also a major Administrative Center after Shimla.
• Dharamshala is Winter Capital of Himachal Pradesh.
• Due to development of government offices, public institutions and tourism facilities, the town has developed as the Regional Head Quarter as well as the Regional Educational and Trade Center.
• Home of Tibetan Guru Dalai Lama and Also Known as Mini Tibet.
• Dharamshala is coming under Dhauladhar tourist Circuit & is major tourist destination of Himachal Pradesh after Shimla and Kullu. Annually 1503489 Lac tourists visit Dharamshala.
• Being a Seat of the Tibetan Guru Dalai Lama and availability of good infrastructure facilities, the town act as base station for tourist who visit historical temples of Kangra, Chamunda, Jawalaji and other tourist places of Palampur, Baijnath and Nurpur.

Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India has selected Dharamsala to submit Smart City Proposal and participate in the 100 Smart Cities Challenge Competition. In this regard, we invite Residents, Stakeholders & College/ School Students to participate in the essay competition.

The topic of the essay is "Mere Sapno ka Shahar Dharamsala" (Hindi), “Dharamsala of my Dreams” (English)

• Maximum word limit - 1000 words
• All the essays must be submitted in .pdf (PDF) format
• Residents can submit their essay in – English or Hindi

The essay should address atleast following questions:

• Your top priority/smart solution/idea/vision to make Dharamsala a Smart city (200 Words).
• What are the main area specific problems and what smart solutions you want to recommend? (150 words)
• What are the main Pan City problems and what pan city based smart solution do you recommend? (200 words)
• Any global/best practices which can be implemented/replicated in Dharamsala (200 words).
• Smart way of implementing your idea (200 Words)

The Competition is open for Two Categories:

• Student
• Open Category

For Students (Between 10 to 17 years of age)

a) 1st Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs. 5000 /- (Five Thousand only)
b) 2nd Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs.3000 /- (Three Thousand only)
c) 3rd Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs. 2000 /- (Two Thousand only)

Open Category (18 years and above age)

a) 1st Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs. 25000 /- (Twenty five Thousand only)
b) 2nd Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs.20000 /- (Twenty Thousand only)
c) 3rd Prize (One) – Cash Incentive of Rs.10000 /- (TenThousand only)

How to Submit

• All the entries must be submitted online through http://mygov.in. No other medium of submission will be accepted.
• Please mention Your Name, Address and Contact Number on top of your entry. Students shall mention the name of School/ College and Class.

The competition shall be closed on 30th October, 2015.

Terms and Conditions

• The winner shall be chosen on the basis of originality of ideas, Innovativeness and Creativity.
• The decision of MC (Dharamsala Municipal Council) for selecting the winner shall be treated as final.
• Dharamsala Municipal Council reserves the right to cancel or amend all or any part of the competition and/or the terms/condition without notice.