Urbanisation in India

Urbanisation in India is measured by the percentage of people living in urban areas relative to the total population. In 2011, this figure stood at 31.16 per cent — quite low when compared to developed countries. Over the twentieth century, the total urban population increased eleven-fold. This growth was driven by two main factors: the enlargement of existing urban centres and the emergence of new towns. However, the growth rate of urbanisation has slowed down during the last two decades.

Functional Classification of Towns

Beyond their role as central or nodal places, many towns and cities perform specialised services. Some are known for specific activities, products, or services. However, every town performs a number of functions. Based on the dominant or specialised function, Indian cities and towns can be broadly classified as follows:

• Administrative towns and cities — These are towns that support administrative headquarters of higher order. Examples include Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, and Chennai.

• Industrial towns — Industries are the prime motive force of these cities. Examples include Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, and Bhilai.

• Transport cities — These may be ports primarily engaged in export and import activities, such as Kandla, Cochin, Kozhikode, and Vishakhapatnam. Others are hubs of inland transport, such as Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi, and Katni.

• Commercial towns — Towns and cities specialising in trade and commerce fall into this class. Kolkata, Saharanpur, and Satna are some examples.

• Mining towns — These towns have developed in mineral-rich areas. Examples include Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, and Singrauli.

• Garrison cantonment towns — These towns emerged as garrison towns. Examples include Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, and Udhampur.

• Educational towns — Starting as centres of education, some towns have grown into major campus towns. Examples include Roorki, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, and Prayagraj.

• Religious and cultural towns — Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, and Ujjain came to prominence due to their religious or cultural significance.

• Tourist towns — Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udagamandalam (Ooty), and Mount Abu are some tourist destinations.

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