Hyderabad, Jun 19 (PTI) The urban population of Telangana is expected to reach 50 per cent by 2025 from the current 46.8 per cent; as of now the State stands third following Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

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NITI Aayog, which is considering cities and towns as growth engines, recently said urban places are in the forefront in providing livelihood to people, an official release said on Sunday.

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The number of urban local bodies was increased to 142 after Telangana was formed in 2014 and the urban infrastructure has improved with the programmes being undertaken by the State government.

Though the current urban local bodies constitute less than three per cent of the overall State's land mass, they contribute about two thirds of the overall gross State domestic product, it said.

Hyderabad city tops the list when it comes to indices of purchasing power, security, healthcare and cost of living, among others. The city is in the top 30 globally as far as economic competitiveness is concerned.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)