Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore Smart City project mission director Kunal Kumar, at U20 programme here on Thursday, said that India's urban population is likely to double by 2047 and that the country will have to adapt changing times accordingly.
"If the country needs to keep up with the pace, existing structures of administration, planning and financing of urban bodies will have to adapt with the changing times," he said while addressing the inaugural function of Urban 20 programme on the theme 'Reinventing Urban Governance for Indian Cities'. "Around 70 per cent of India's GDP comes from cities.
ANANDSHIVRE
To make India a developed country by 2047, cities need to be developed. We need to increase economic growth for next 25 years for achieving a target 32 trillion dollar economy by 2047.
We need eight times investment to what we are getting today," he said. He stated that the migration from villages to cities is not a problem but an opportunity as it accelerates the economic growth of cities. Kumar said the funding system of the country's urban bodies should also be in tune with the demands and challenges of changing times. Urban 20 or U20 is an initiative from cities of G20 countries to exchange ideas and drive progress on global issues like climate change and sustainable development.
ANANDSHIVRE
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav said that nearly 250 delegates, including 16 Mayors, from 60 cities participated in the U20 event held at the cleanest city of the country. MP Shankar Lalwani stated that the deliberation of this U20 event will find place in the final draft of G20 summit.
Cities risk irreversible damage due to environmental degradation: Officials
Environmental degradation can cause irreversible damage to cities if action is not taken now, officials warned on Thursday. They said environmental sustainability and climate change can no longer be ignored in urban development and stressed the need to incorporate these concerns into all upcoming projects and policies.
"Be it Panaji, Thane, Surat, our cities could suffer permanent damage if their green areas are not protected now. We need to take immediate measures to improve the state of the environment in our cities," Kunal Kumar said.
