Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh, called for careful, innovative and sustainable urbanization in India as millions more people will move to cities over the next three decades. The Chief Minister was speaking at the India Economic Summit organized by the World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Mr Naidu substantiated his idea by giving the example of Amaravati, a new greenfield capital city which has leverage land pooling by farmers. This encouraged farmers to donate their land to the new city area for a financial return in the future. ‘The capital is not only an administrative city, but one with economic equity, dynamism, social equity and wealth creation for the state’ he said. He emphasized that urbanization is inevitable; however, it should be handled properly by concentrating on rural as well an urban development.
Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said that comprehensive development of rural and urban areas is needed. India should focus on developing its agriculture sector and transform it quickly to manufacturing sector. He stressed that the planning and designing of a city with detailed engineering and embedded public transportation is the key for successful smart urbanization.
He pointed out that monetization of land values is required. For example, in Gurugram and Noida, smart urbanization took place but the gain in land value could not be reinvested. Mr Kant also suggested that India should look for innovative ideas and examples of successful urbanization in developing cities like Singapore (known for traffic integration), Yokohama (waste management), etc.
Both the panelists agreed that technology and internet of things is an important combination and the need of the hour. Automation would not lead to job loss but with the wealth generated by its implementation, parallel industries like tourism and others can be developed. It is also important to skill workers in technology.
Mr Shivnath Thukral, Managing Director, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, India, said that with the changing attitudes of Government and people, a flourishing environment for startups and technology development, India is poised at the edge of the fourth industrial revolution.
New Delhi
7 October 2016