By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The economic map of the country has undergone a major transformation. Instead of the Big Six cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, 94 other fast-growing small and medium cities of the country are now playing a major role in increasing the demand and expenditure of the domestic market. Based on the recently released prestigious ‘PRICE-Tata Sons’ survey report, the Honorable Member of Parliament from Berhampur, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, has written a detailed letter to the Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, requesting a major change in the national urban development and industrial policy.
Key facts and statistics:
54% Market Share: Excluding the 6 largest metropolitan cities out of the top 100 cities, the remaining 94 cities have a population of around 169.3 million and account for 54% of total consumption.
Propensity to spend more: Despite having higher average incomes, large metropolitan cities spend only 58.3% of their total income. In contrast, residents of fast-growing (Breakout & Frontier) cities spend 76% to 78% of their income in markets, which boosts GST collections and local businesses.
Regular jobs and the middle class: The number of middle-class families earning between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 36 lakh per annum in small towns has increased from 29% to 53% in the last decade and is set to reach 60% by 2030.
Special demands for Odisha and Berhampur:
MP Dr. Panigrahi drew the attention of the Prime Minister and said that cities like Rourkela, Sambalpur and especially Berhampur, the commercial heart of South Odisha, can form the brain of this new economic revolution. Berhampur-Chhatrapur-Gopalpur industrial agglomeration and the strategic location of Gopalpur port can be used to develop it as a major logistics and industrial corridor.
Important proposals from MPs to the Prime Minister:
1. New Infrastructure Fund (EMC-IF): Special grants should be provided by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to cities which have a high Consumption-to-Income ratio, not based solely on population.
2. IT and Industrial Promotion: The cost of land and management is very high in big cities. Therefore, special tax incentives like PLI should be given to companies to set up IT-BPO and manufacturing hubs in cities like Berhampur, so that our educated youth can get employment in their own areas.
3. Development of Handlooms and Local Businesses: A well-organized market chain and special fund should be formed for the famous local handlooms that have received GI tags like Brahmapuri Pat and Bomkei Pat.
4. Blue Economy and Sagarmala Connectivity: The economic growth of South Odisha should be accelerated by connecting the Gopalpur coastal region with the National Multimodal Freight Corridor.
A copy of this letter has been sent to the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Ports and Shipping Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Mohan Charan Majhi and the Deputy Chairman of NITI Aayog for taking necessary steps. MP Dr. Panigrahi expressed the hope that to realize the dream of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ (Viksit Bharat), it is very important to include these emerging cities of Odisha in the mainstream of the country’s economy.
