In recent discussions on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, a series of conversation has sparked between two prominent figures regarding the future of urbanisation in India.
Mohandas Pai, a former executive at Infosys and a well-known business commentator, has voiced his concerns about the government's focus on developing new cities instead of investing in existing urban areas.
On the platform X, Pai in response to a post by Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, wrote, “Investing in existing cities is more important than building new cities! @amitabhk87 how can you ignore existing cities, producing taxes and jobs? New cities will take 15/20 years to produce results. Invest more in existing cities first before starting new cities. we are suffering hugely due to very low investments.”
Amitabh Kant in his post on X, shared insights from Nobel Laureate Paul Romer, highlighting the need for successful urbanisation as a key driver of economic growth. He argued that building entirely new cities is crucial for India’s future, suggesting that mobilising private landowners and adopting competitive federalism could unlock the real estate sector's potential. Kant posted, "Successful urbanisation is key to economic growth. For India, building entirely new cities is essential."
Furthermore, acknowledging the importance of new cities, Kant in his post further added that he believes that both existing and new urban areas must be developed simultaneously. He responded to Pai, stating, "Both these tasks have to be undertaken simultaneously @TVMohandasPai Not one at the cost of the other. If 500 Mln are going to move from rural to urban areas in the next 5-6 decades, we should do planned, sustainable urbanisation. It will drive both growth and employment."
Furthermore to this, Pai’s advocated for a massive investment scheme targeting 5,000 census towns and Tier 1 and 2 cities reflects his concern for the future of urban living in India. He wrote, “We need a massive scheme to invest in 5000 census towns, apart from Tier 1/2 cities, at least 50cr per year with centre and state to grow jobs and a better future.”
Netizens Reaction
The debate has elicited reactions from netizens with users responding with their viewpoint.
One user commented on Pai’s post, “I think you have to get the agenda here...why do I feel this time the govt is crap.”
Conversely, another user pointed out the need for more cities, stating, “Mohan ji, you dont want to develop new cities? The existing cities are already overcrowded. We need more cities to help the youth of those cities to grow and not to travel to overcrowded cities.”
