Budget's urban plan

As India's urbanisation picks up pace, with over 35 per cent of its population currently living in cities and over 50 per cent expected to urbanise by 2050, the government's push towards prioritising urban development could not have been more timely.

The Economic Survey and the Budget laid out the government's vision for inclusive urban development, addressing needs such as affordable urban housing, job creation, specifically in the service sector, and improving the ease of living for both youth and the elderly. However, recent tragedies, including three young students drowning in an illegal basement in the National Capital and numerous deaths due to heavy rainfall in the country, highlight the need for the government to also fix the administrative lapses in our cities.

Nonetheless, this year's Budget has made significant strides towards urban development. First, 30 million additional houses under PM Awas Yojana in rural and urban areas have been promised as a step towards affordable housing for everyone. Specifically, PM Awas Yojana Urban 2.0 aims to address the housing needs of 10 million poor and middle-class families. Second, to transform cities into "growth hubs", the government intends to formulate town planning schemes for orderly development of peri-urban areas.