Urban India

India, ADB sign $125 mn loan pact to boost urban services in Assam

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125-million loan agreement with an aim to enhance urban livability and bolster climate resilience in six districts of Assam. The project will benefit 360,000 residents of Assam by delivering continuous metered water supply and upgrading storm water management systems, the finance ministry said in a statement. It also seeks to strengthen urban governance through institutional reforms and capacity building, it said. Key infrastructure investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and 800 km distribution pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari, it said. The project will also deploy a real-time monitoring system, aiming to maintain non revenue water below 20 per cent, it said. In Guwahati, the project will enhance storm water management in the Bahini Basin with flood

India's top metros double urban footprint in 30 yrs; Pune, Bengaluru lead

A new report shows India's biggest cities have grown fast in 30 years, with Pune and Bengaluru leading the way as they add new homes, offices, roads and become key growth centres

Urban renewal hinges on civic duty, not just infrastructure alone

Projections indicate that by 2036, Indian cities will have close to 600 million inhabitants, i.e. 40 per cent of the country's population

Weak urban demand, inflation likely to hit FMCG volumes in Q4FY25

Dabur India, maker of Hajmola candy and Real fruit juices, said that its India FMCG business is likely to decline to mid-single digits due to delayed and truncated winters

Only 6% urban homes receive safe tap water, most rely on filtration: Survey

Only 30 per cent of urban households said that the quality of piped water supplied to their homes was 'good', while 14 per cent said it was 'very good'

Full market potential of digital space a long way to harness: Report

Geographical divide between urban and rural India far sharper than gender divide, it says

Rural India spending more time on education than urban India: Survey

Time spent by women on 'learning' remained unchanged at 84 minutes during five years, while the time spent by men declined to 94 minutes from 102 minutes

Rent taking up larger share of urban income, travel expenses rising

The numbers also reflect a growing divide between rural and urban India when it comes to rents

Access to capacity: Public transport in urban India has miles to go

It has been pointed out that metro train networks are expensive and not ideal unless commuting distances are long

Most urban Indians aspire to own homes, prefer home loans: Report

52 per cent of people prefer apartments, according to Business Standard-Knight Frank report

Awareness about retirement planning rising in urban India: Report

Awareness about retirement planning has been rising in urban India with growing number of people feeling the need to start planning for their post-work life early, a report said. As much as 44 Indians consider the right age to start planning for retirement is before 35 years, as per the India Retirement Index Study (IRIS) released by Max Life Insurance. Encouragingly, 63 per cent respondents have already begun investing for retirement, leading to reduced concerns about meeting both basic and luxury needs, as well as securing their children's futures, it said. A notable 68 per cent of urban Indian working women have begun investing for retirement, it said. The study also highlights regional opportunities in retirement planning across India, with the east zone leading in overall preparedness, the west zone showing financial and health progress but needing emotional focus, and the north and south zones improving in health preparedness index, it said. "Although urban India's retiremen

Urban India's retirement index rises to 49; women lead with 50: Max Life

The retirement index comprises three indices with the following weights: financial index (31 per cent), health index (61 per cent), and emotional index (8 per cent)

Urban India likely to spend Rs 1.85 trillion during festive sales: Survey

70% of urban Indian household surveyed likely to use stores and market for shopping

More urban shoppers opting for quick commerce platforms: NIQ study

According to the report, shopping frequency has increased across channels, with more frequent visits to both modern trade and online platforms

MP ministers to now pay Income Tax; state cabinet revokes 52-yr-old rule

Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided that state ministers will have to pay their Income Tax, instead of the state government bearing such burden. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in a statement said the cabinet has taken a decision to strike off the 1972 rule, under which the state government was paying the Income Tax on the salaries and perks of ministers. The cabinet decided that all ministers will pay the Income Tax on their salaries and allowances, Yadav said. State Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said during the cabinet meeting, the chief minister gave a suggestion that the ministers themselves pay their Income Tax. The suggestion was accepted and hence the decision was taken in this regard, he said.

Rural India will continue to outpace urban expansion in FMCG sales: Kantar

Rural India remains a "bright star" for the growth of fast-moving consumer goods sales and the region is expected to maintain better pace of expansion than urban areas in the second quarter of 2024, a report said on Friday. According to a report from data, insights and consulting firm Kantar, rural India will maintain "better growth levels" racing ahead of the urban markets for FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) companies in the second quarter (April-June) of 2024. Terming the rural market as a "bright star", the report said it had a "resurgence" in 2024. While urban is likely to remain under stress, the rural may consolidate its position in second quarter of the year, it said. This growth in the rural areas is helped by region-centric measures by the government in the interim budget earlier this year, which provided stability. Moreover, populist measures are expected by some states which are going to face elections this year, said Kantar FMCG pulse report for Q2. "We should also b

Urban Governance Management

Earlier tourism haven Cape Town and now, IT hub Bangalore. Both show how urban governance management is to key to solving key crises like water. > >

Share of women in urban salaried jobs at 6-year low in Q4FY24: PLFS

The share of women in wage work was the highest in Q1 of FY21 at 61.2 per cent

After 5 quarters, rural FMCG consumption outpaces urban: NIQ report

While there is a consumption slowdown in urban markets and modern trade channels, rural markets and traditional trade registered an uptick, said NIQ

Urban Indians ready to pay premium price for quick delivery: PwC report

The lack of discounts and special offers in physical stores, along with large crowds in malls during weekends are some of the reasons why urban dwellers prefer to shop online