Urban areas are integral to India’s growth and development, accounting for around two-thirds of the country’s GDP. Yet the country’s cities face severe challenges and are desperately in need of transformation. Isher Ahluwalia has been involved in efforts to make cities and urbanisation more central to the national policy agenda. Her recent book, ‘Transforming Our Cities: Postcards of Change’ is published by Harper Collins and highlights stories of hope from a diverse range of Indian cities. For this lecture, Isher Ahluwalia outlined insights from her book to offer an analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing Indian cities at this critical juncture.
Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia is an eminent Indian economist. She is Chairperson, Board of Governors, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and chaired the Indian government's high-level committee on urban infrastructure and services.