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Noting that transforming the lives of the urban poor has been crucial to the growth of cities, Amitabh Kant, the G20 Indian Sherpa chief and former CEO of NITI Aayog, noted on Saturday that in the past eight years, India has built 40 million homes and provided 110 million water connections, which was equivalent to The population of Australia and Brazil, respectively.
Addressing the closing of the two-day U-20 Mayor Summit in Gandhinagar, Kant said. “If sustainable development is to be achieved, cities will have to lead. We believe that growth, development, lifting people above the poverty line and climate action are directly linked to cities.”
“It has always been our belief that changing the lives of the urban poor is critical to growth. In the last eight years we have provided 40 million homes to Indians. It means more than the population of Australia. Attended by 92 mayors and leaders from 57 cities, Kant said at the summit. Including Tokyo, London and Los Angeles, we have provided 110 million water connections, which is more than the population of Brazil.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, who was also present at the event, told reporters, “Between 2004 and 2014, the total expenditure on all urban schemes combined amounted to Rs 1.57 crore. In the nine years after 2014, this expenditure has increased.” to Rs 18,000 crore.”
He added, “The urban population was 17 percent of our total population in 1947. Today, the urban population is over 30 percent.”
Speaking about the implementation of metro projects, Puri said in India, the metro rail covered a distance of 240 kilometers in 2014. “Today, it has reached 860 kilometers and we have 1,039 kilometers under construction. When it is commissioned, we will have the second largest metro system in the world – More than the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Puri outlined the six recommendations made by participating cities during the summit, which included “encouraging environmentally responsible behavior”, ensuring water security, accelerating climate finance, championing local culture and economy, reinventing the framework for urban governance and planning and catalysing a digital urban future.
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