India’s urbanisation may double to over 60 per cent in 30 years assuming that economic growth remains at 7-9 per cent level, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Wednesday.
“Generally, the level of urbanisation is over 60 per cent in developed economies. It will take time for India to achieve that level. Within two to three decades India’s urbanisation should be 60 per cent. But that would require 7-9 per cent economic growth,” Panagariya said at the inauguration a 2-day Urban Management Programme. The process of urbanisation in the country may accelerate as it has touched the threshold of 30-35 per cent urban population, he added.
He said: “The chances of acceleration in urbanisation are greater when urban population crosses the threshold of 30-35 per cent. The empirical evidence suggests that once the threshold of 30-35 per cent (urbanisation) is crossed then the process of urbanisation accelerates.” About India’s slow growth of urbanisation, which was 31.16 per cent as per the 2011 Census, he said.