The North-Eastern city of Guwahati has been ranked 34th out of top 50 cities in India (by population) in terms of vibrancy in a recent survey done by Morgan Stanley. However, it found that the household income of Guwahati was above the national average.
The survey report – AlphaWise City Vibrancy Index – has classified Guwahati as a city with ‘low vibrancy, but high income’. The quarterly average household income of Guwahati is around Rs. 70,000 which is more than the country’s average household income of Rs. 50,000, found the report. However, the report found that the city lacks vibrancy. In a scale of 0-10, where the average vibrancy level is 3, Guwahati has been ranked just above 2.
Bangalore, Mysore and Pune have been found to be the most vibrant cities, whereas Srinagar, Asansol and Bhilai are the bottom three cities in the vibrancy index.
The City Vibrancy Index is a measure of the drivers of urbanization, notably – physical infrastructure, financial penetration, consumer services and job listings. It incorporates key ingredients that drive urbanization including infrastructure, job opportunities, modern consumer services and the city’s ability to mobilise savings. The index reveals the relative vibrancy and urbanization level of Indian cities.
In terms of financial penetration, Guwahati has been ranked 41st, which is however above Mumbai and Kolkata, which ranks 43rd and 45th respectively. Mysore tops the chart in financial penetration and Srinagar is at the bottom.
Jalandhar, Aurangabad, Bhubhaneshwar, Agra and Raipur are the “cities of opportunities”. The households in these cities earn more than India’s average urban household and hence they have scope to be more vibrant, found the survey.
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Guwahati ranks 18th on consumption index and 29th on job openings.
The findings are based on data collected for top 200 cities on ATMs and bank branches (as a representation of financial infrastructure), consumption services such as malls, restaurants, hotels, multiplexes and car showrooms, job listings and IT parks (to ascertain job creation).