Keynote Address by Mr. Lavanya Kumar, Consul General of India at the Seminar on ‘Urban Dialogue on Fragility Matters: Growing Indian Cities’ at PoliMi
(13 February 2025)
Distinguished Professors,
and
Student Community,
At the outset I would like to thank Dr Maria Pilar Guerrieri, Professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at Polytecnico of Milan (PoliMi) for inviting me to this seminar on ‘urban dialogue on fragility matters: growing Indian cities’.
You might be curious about my participation in today's seminar, as urban development issues are not typically within the realm of diplomacy. As I had worked for three years from 2021-2024 in the International Cooperation, Central Vista, and AMRUT Divisions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Federal Government of India, I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the remarkable progress in urban development currently taking place in India.
Friends,
Before exploring the recent developments, I would like to inform you about the illustrious history of urban development in ancient India. The renowned Indus Valley civilisation boasted huge cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro approximately 5,000 years ago. The urban planning of these cities stands as a testament to the technical prowess of ancient India. However, climate change, among several other factors, has contributed to the gradual decline of these once-glorious cities.
Now, let me highlight the present status of urbanisation in India. India is the second largest urban system in the world with almost 11% of the total global urban population living in Indian cities. We have more than 4,400 cities/towns and as many as 53 cities with a million plus population. The decadal growth of urban population in India is more than the rural growth. Urban population in India is set to reach 50% by 2050. This amounts to an addition of 416 million to its already existing urban population of 460 million.
Cities are like living entities and are the centres of economic growth of a nation. Though cities in India occupy just 3% of the nation’s land, their contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) is a massive 60%. Cities in rapidly developing economies, such as India, serve as magnets for people from neighbouring regions seeking employment and better livelihood opportunities. For city administrators and policymakers, addressing the infrastructure challenges associated with rapid population influx is a daunting task. More often than not, they find themselves 'catching up with developments' rather than implementing 'pre-planned' strategies. Consequently, news reports frequently highlight issues such as pollution, water scarcity, sanitation, and inadequate public transport. One also needs to note that the urbanisation in India is a dynamic phenomenon rather than static like the West.
Friends,
There has been a paradigm shift in the policies of the Government of India in urban development in the past decade. India’s recent urban focus can be gauged from the fact that the infrastructure investment in urban areas has grown ten times between 2004-14 and 2014-2024 period. Considering the rapid growth trajectory of our cities, the Government of India has, over the past decade, implemented several significant reforms and urban development initiatives. Notable among these are the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), aimed at universal coverage of water supply to all urban households, and the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission), focused on improving sanitation management.
The urban mobility in India is witnessing rapid transformation with increasing use of technology. We have more than 900 Km of metro lines in 27 cities of India and about another 1000 Km of metro rail projects are under construction. Our Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-Urban) is one of the largest housing schemes of the world. About 7 million houses have been completed/delivered to the beneficiaries so far.
Urban planning plays a very important role in addressing various challenges in the growth of cities. Recognising this, the Government of India has designated four institutes in India as ‘Centres of Excellence’ in urban planning and design for imparting certified trainings/ courses to civil servants, town planners, municipal officials, professionals, and students. These centres have been provided a grant of Rs 250 cr each (Approx 2.8 million Euros each). Besides these, the Federal Government has also designated six institutes as AMRUT Funded Centres of urban planning for capacity building.
Smart Cities Mission (SCM), another flagship mission of the Federal Government launched in the year 2015, was the first comprehensive effort at national level to address various urban development challenges. Here, I would like to add that a Smart City would have a different connotation in India than, say, Europe. Even in India, there is no one way of defining a Smart City.
The 100 Smart Cities in India are committed to building core infrastructure and enhancing the quality of life for their citizens by implementing innovative 'Smart' Solutions. The initiative aims to create replicable urban models that can serve as beacons for other aspiring cities. The Smart Cities Mission encompasses a wide range of sectors, with over 8,000 projects.
The SCM had two main aspects: area-based development consisting of three components—redevelopment (city renewal), retrofitting (city improvement), and green field projects (city extension); and pan-city solutions based on Information& Communication Technology. Consequently, several cities witnessed development of dedicated cycling and jogging tracks, parking areas, affordable houses, Command and Control Centres, water front developments, disaster management systems, public parks, intelligent transport management systems, and solar/LED lights in streets.
Another flagship mission, National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was implemented from 2015 to 2019 to address specific challenges in 12 important tourist and heritage cities. Redevelopment of streets and redesigning of public spaces was an important element of this program.
Friends,
It has become more crucial than ever before to reimagine the growth of our cities to ensure inclusive and sustainable urbanisation. It is needless to emphasise the centrality of the people and technology in revitalising our urban landscape. Street vendors are also an important part of the urban ecosystem. The federal government implements a unique microcredit lending program ‘PM- SVANIDHI’ for their welfare. Besides providing collateral free working capital, it also aims for their holistic development and economic upliftment.
Policies of the federal government have become important enablers in the development journey of cities. A series of reform measures leveraging digital technology to improve the quality of delivery of services are being implemented. Use of social media apps for the feedback of citizens and better delivery of services is one such innovative measure.
As India transitions to an urban society, practitioners and students of urban planning will find numerous opportunities to learn and actively participate in the country's urban development. I invite you to visit India to experience these developments first hand.
Thank you
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