Maha to have highest urban population By 2026, 38% People To Live In Cities: Govt

New Delhi: Maharashtra would have maximum urban population by 2026, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Quoting the population projection by the Census of India, the Union urban development ministry in a reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday stated that country's urban population will reach 53.48 crore in another 13 years. 

    It is estimated that over 38% of total projected population will be living in urban areas. As per the projection, India's total population would reach 140 crore by 2026, minister of state for urban development Deepa Dasmunshi stated in her reply to a written question. According to the Census of India, urban population in Maharashtra would be 8.13 crore, while in UP it would cross 6.75 crore. The other states that make up the top five states are Tamil Nadu (5.37 crore), Gujarat (3.67 crore) and West Bengal (3.53 crore). Lakshadweep will have the least number of urban population at around 24,000. 
    Among cities, Mumbai would have the highest population of at least 2.63 crore, followed by Delhi (over 2.24 crore). Kolkata would slip to third slot with a little over 2 crore population. In 2001, Kolkata was the second most populated city in India after Mumbai. "Migration of population to both big and small cities and growth of towns will push the population growth in urban areas. This has happened in case of all the mostly urbanized countries and India cannot be an exception. Now we have a big challenge of managing the already overgrown cities and to ensure that smaller cities come up in a planned manner," said a senior UD ministry official. 
    In its bid to improve the infrastructure in 65 big cities, the government has been implementing several projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), while there is another project to cater to the needs of small and medium towns. "In the next one-andhalf years our focus would be to sanction more projects for smaller towns considering the critical need of these areas," said a ministry official. 
POPULATION BOOM 
    Country's urban population will reach 53.48 crore by 2026—over 38% of total projected population will be living in urban areas 
    India's total population will reach 140 cr by 2026, minister of state for urban development Deepa Dasmunshi said 
    Urban population in Maharashtra will reach 8.13 cr while in UP, it will cross 6.75 cr 
    Among cities, Mumbai will have the highest population of 2.63 cr followed by Delhi with population of over 22.4 cr