Urban sanitation is a must for the country to achieve the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2024, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday. “Urban development cannot be conceptualised without taking urban sanitation into consideration,” he said.
Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day conference on urban sanitation organised by the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, Mr. Puri said: “By the time we reach 2030, India will have an urban population close to 600 million, representing 40% of country’s population, the urban sector will contribute about 70% of GDP, 85% of total tax revenue, and 70% of the jobs created in India.”
He said the goal of making the Indian economy worth $5 trillion by 2024, from $2.8 trillion today, would require policies that consider sanitation.
“It is essential to prepare for that, and urban development cannot be conceptualised without taking urban sanitation into consideration.”
Mr. Puri said the expenditure on urban infrastructure had increased six-fold from June 2015 till now compared to 2004 till 2014.
