India, Oct. 25 -- India needs to give city governments greater administrative and financial autonomy to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation, NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba said on Sunday. Addressing the valedictory session of the second National Urban Conclave, he said cities could not be effectively governed from state capitals.

The former cabinet secretary of India called for comprehensive reforms in urban governance, planning and financing to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

India's urban population is projected to rise from around 50 crore currently to 85 crore by 2050. Nearly half of the country's population is expected to live in cities by then, Gauba said.

He added that India's population was likely to contin...