Hyderabad: Urban populace in State set to touch 50pc by 2025

Hyderabad: The urban population and accompanied advantages are likely to hit the 50 percent mark in Telangana by 2025. This is two-and-a-half decades ahead of all other States in the country. As of now the national average of the urban population in the country is 31.16 per cent in the total population. Telangana recorded 46.8 percent in its total population during the same period.

According to a Niti Aayog report, only two States, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are ahead of Telangana in this aspect. Among the top three urbanised States, Tamil Nadu recorded an average of 48.45 percent urban population, among its total population, while Kerala recorded 47.23 percent; Maharashtra followed Telangana with 45.23 percent.

The Niti Aayog considered the cities as the engines of economic growth and the ripple effect of the economic activities in urban areas would lead to a multi-fold increase in employment and income levels.

It may be recalled that the progressive urban policies and initiatives of the State government, including new Municipal Act and State Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao's efforts helped the State to secure expansion of urban areas and urban population effectively.

The initiatives of the government to increase the number of urban local bodies subsequent to the formation of the Telangana have helped in transformation of the urban landscape in the State. Though the existing urban local bodies constitute less than three percent of the land mass in the State, the same region contributes close to two-thirds of its GDP. It may be one of the reasons why the population and manpower is attracted to the State's urban areas.

While the population increase in the urban local bodies and urban areas are making the State a major achiever in urbanisation, it is likely to inch towards 50 per cent urban population covered area by 2025.

As per Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kanth's prediction, the same urbanisation process would be achieved in the country by 2050. Thus the State is two-and-a-half decades ahead of its counter parts; Hyderabad is at the top of the table with major achievements remains number one.

The Hyderabad already tops in purchasing power index, safety index, healthcare index, cost of living index, property price to income ratio index, traffic commute time index, and pollution or climate index respectively. The city, though not competing with any other urban part of the country, remained one among the 30 major cities in the world to achieve the quality and economic competitiveness.