Urban population in the state is projected to increase to 4.55 crore by 2030, accounting for 46 percent of the total, chief secretary PK Mohanty has said.

The State government is contemplating to take up a massive programme for Urban Infrastructure Development (UID) for improving the living standards of low income groups, to meet the challenge of steep rise in urban population, with growth rate pegged at 33.5 percent in the state against the national average of 31 per cent, he said.

Mohanty’s book “Challenges of urbanisation in India - An overview”, authored in association with Isher Judge Ahluwalia and Ravi Kanbur, was released in New Delhi recently.