India's 'Smart Cities' Mission: An Opportunity to Transform the Country's Cities

摘要

It has been estimated that 90 per cent of the world's urban population growth will take place in developing countries, with India taking a significant share of it. Urban areas also contribute a higher share to the GDP. While the urban population is currently around 31 per cent of the total population, it contributes over 60 per cent of India's GDP. It is projected that urban India will contribute nearly 75 per cent of the national GDP in the next 15 years. It is for this reason that cities are referred to as the 'engines of economic growth' and ensuring that they function as efficient engines is critical to our economic development. The global experience is that a country's urbanization, up to 30 per cent level, is relatively slow but the pace of urbanization speeds up thereafter, till it reaches about 60-65 per cent. With an urban population of 31 per cent, India is at a point of transition where the pace of urbanization will speed up.