India's urban population set to reach 900 mn by 2047, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India’s urban population is set to reach around 900 million by 2047 and urged private firms, particularly in the real estate and industrial sectors, to prioritise planned urbanisation.

 

“Indian cities will be recognised for sustainable urban mobility, digital integration, and climate resilience plans,” Modi said.

 

During a post-Budget webinar, he stressed on the importance of collaborative efforts to boost initiatives like AMRUT 2.0 and Jal Jeevan Mission.

 

The Prime Minister highlighted that the Union Budget 2025-26 paves the way for a strong workforce and a growing economy with investments prioritised equally across infrastructure, industries, people, economy, and innovation.

 

 

“This year’s Budget reflects this theme on a large scale and serves as a blueprint for India’s future. Investments have been prioritised equally across infrastructure, industries, people, economy, and innovation,” he added.

 

Modi also highlighted the government’s initiatives in education such as the new National Education Policy (NEP), expansion of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and integration of technology into the education system. 

 

“These mission mode efforts have enabled India’s education system to align with the needs and parameters of the 21st century. The government has provided skill training to 30 million youth since 2014 and decided to upgrade 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), along with setting up five centres of excellence,” he said.

 

Touching upon the medical field, PM Modi emphasised on the two major budgetary announcements — addition of 75,000 medical seats in the next five years and establishment of day-care cancer centres (DCCCs) in all district hospitals within the next three years. 

 

Of the 75,000 seat additions target, 10,000 are planned to be added this year. 

 

Commenting on the challenges and roadmap for this, Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the ministry will be working to assess faculty gaps and ensure that recruitment aligns with the increase in medical seats.   

 

“Experts have recommended expanding the pool of faculty by permitting sharing of faculty within medical colleges, particularly in non-clinical subjects,” she added.

 

The Prime Minister also called for expanding telemedicine facilities across all primary health centres (PHCs). 

 

Urging the industry to invest in medical tourism, Modi stressed that initiatives like ‘Heal in India’ and ‘Land of the Buddha’ could be used to attract global tourists.

 

“Efforts are being made to establish India as a global tourism and wellness hub,” the PM said.

 

The Prime Minister added that these endeavours will create numerous employment opportunities for the youth and urged stakeholders to work swiftly to implement these initiatives.

 

He said that the benefits, announced in the Budget, must reach the people.