Tier 1 cities in India :

Classification of Tier 1 cities in India by their economic, social and infrastructural development .

Let us see some of the factors that determine a particular city, how its classified and which tier it belongs to

Criteria for Tier 1 city :

• Population – should be greater than 5 million people (>5 million) = (> 50 lakh people )
• GDP – should be greater than 20 billion dollars ((20 billion$ =2000 crore $ = (1,64,000 crores) means (> 1.64 lakh crores)
• Advanced infrastructure – Metro, Airport, Seaport, Strong IT, Manufacturing, Service sectors.
• Standard of living – Costly (lifestyle)

Metropolitan city looks like

Now lets us see how many Metropolitan cities are there in India

1. BANGALORE :

Bangalore is the capital city of Karnataka state, also called as (Silicon Valley of India) or (IT Capital of India)

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, bangalore is one of them

• Name – BENGALURU (official), BANGALORE (commonly)
• Location -Karnataka, South india
• Population -1,40,08,000 (approx)
• Area – 741 km² (286 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Kannada(official), English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by Kempe Gowda (1537),Cantonment established in 1806(british colonial era)

Bangalore – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 300 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Manufacturing, Services, Agriculture
• IT – (40%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Manufacturing – (25%)(food products, beverages, textiles, leather products etc..)
• Services – (20%)(banks ,hotels, real estate, education etc..)
• Agriculture -(15%)(growing field crops, fruits, nuts, vegetables etc..
• Major industries – Software, Aerospace, Biotechnology, Automobile
• Unemployement rate – 2.4%(2022-23)
• Literacy rate – 88.61%(2024)

• Airport – Kempa Gowda International Airport (BLR)
• Metro – Namma Metro (42 km network)
• Railway stations – Bangalore City Railway Station(SBC), Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station(BNC) Yeswanthpur junction(YPR), Krishnarajapuram Railway Station(KJM), kengeri(KGI) and few more, Total stations are around 15.
• Roadways – National Highways ( 4,7,48,75,275,844,948,766)
• Public transport – BMTC buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities– Bangalore University, Christ University, Visvesvaraya technological University, University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore and more (Total around 16 universities more)
• Institutes – Indian Institute Of Science (IISc), Indian Institute Of Management (IIMB) and many more institutes

• Hospitals – Apollo Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Manipal Hospital
• Medical Research -National Institute Of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)
• Health care infrastructure – 2500+ hospitals, 1500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Vidhan Soudha, bangalore Palace, Lalbagh Botanical garden
• Shopping – Mahatma Gandhi Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Municipal Corporation – Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)

• Climate – Tropical Savanna climate
• Temperature range – 15 degrees (winter) to 35 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season – July to September
• Population Density – 11,000/km square
• Challenges -Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, waste management, traffic congestion

2. DELHI :

Delhi is the capital city of India, mix of traditions, also served as capital for ancient rulers in india

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, Delhi is one of them

• Name – DELHI
• Location – North central part of India
• Population -3,38,07,000 (approx )
• Area -1484 kilometer square (573 square meter)
• Languages spoken -Hindi, English, Urdu, Punjabi
• Time zone -IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History -ancient city,inhabited since 6th century BCE
• Historical importance – Served as capital for empires – Tughlaq ,Mughal , British

Delhi – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 272 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – Services, Manufacturing, Agriculture
• Services -(75%) (everything other than agriculture and manufacturing comes under service sector)
• Manufacturing – (22%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Agriculture – (3%)(growing of crops, fruits, tea, coffee etc..)
• Major industries – IT(information technology), Healthcare, Finance, Tourism.
• Unemployment rate – 9.66% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 86.21% (2024)

• Airport – Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)
• Metro – Delhi Metro (373 km network)
• Railway stations – New delhi(NDLS), Hazrat nizamuddin(NZM), Delhi junction(DLI), Delhi sarai rohilla(DEE), Anand vihar terminus(ANVT), and 43 more stations,(total 48 stations) in delhi.
• Roadways – National Highways ( 1, 2, 8, 10, 24 )
• public transport – DTC buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – Delhi University, Jawahar Lal nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia University are some of top universities in delhi and more (Total 30).
• Institutes – IIT delhi, AIIMS, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and many more

• Hospitals – AIIMS, Safdarjung hospital, Apollo Hospital
• Medical Research – National Institute Of Immunology, Institute Of Genomics and Integrative biology
• Health care infrastructure – 3500+ hospitals, 1500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Red fort, Qutub minar, India Gate, Humayuns tomb
• Shopping – Connaught place, chandini Chowk, sarojini nagar market

• Administrator – Lieutanant Governor
• Muncipal Corporations – North,South,East Delhi Municipal Corporations

• Climate – Humid subtropical climate
• Temperature range – 2 degrees (winter) to 45 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season – July to September
• Population density – 11,312/km square
• Challenges -Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, waste management, traffic congestion

3. CHENNAI :

Chennai is the capital city of Tamilnadu state, also known as Gateway of South India.

We have 8 Tier 1 cities, Chennai is one of them

• Name – CHENNAI (formerly Madras)
• Location – Tamilnadu, South India
• Population – 1,22,90,000 (approx )
• Area – 426 km² (164 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Tamil (official), English, Telugu, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by British East India Company (1639), Madras Presidency(1640-1947) (British colonial era)

Chennai – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 143 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Automotive, Services, Manufacturing
• IT – (35%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Automotive – (25%)(manufacturing of vehicles 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers,passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors, heavy commercial vehicles)
• Services – (20%) (everything other than agriculture and manufacturing comes under service sector)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Software, Hardware, Automobile, Textiles
• Unemployement rate – 4.7% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 90.3 % (2024)

• Airport – Chennai International Airport (MAA)
• Ports – Chennai port, Ennore port
• Metro – Chennai Metro (45 km network)
• Railway Stations – Chennai Railway Station, Egmore Railway Station (total over 40)
• Roadways – National Highways (4, 5, 45, 48,)
• Public transport – MTC buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – University of madras, Anna University and 6 more (total 8)
• Institutes – IIT madras, Indian Institute of Management(IIMC) and many more

• Hospitals – Apollo Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre
• Medical Research – National Institute Of Epidemiology, Institute Of Microbial Technology
• Health Care Infrastructure – 3500+ hospitals, 1500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Marina Beach, Fort St.George, Kapaleeswarar temple
• Shopping – T.nagar, Pondy bazar, Spencer Plaza

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Muncipal Corporations – Greater Chennai Corporation

• Climate – Tropical wet and dry climate
• Temperature range – 20 degrees (winter) to 40 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 16,000/km square
• Challenges – Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, waste management, traffic congestion

4. MUMBAI :

Mumbai is the capital city of Maharashtra state, also known as financial capital of india

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, Mumbai is one of them

• Name – MUMBAI (formerly bombay)
• Location – Maharashtra, West India
• Population – 2,16,73,000(approx )
• Area – 603 km² (233 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Marathi(official), English, Telugu, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by Portuguese (1508), Bombay Presidency (1612-1947)British Colonial Era, renamed as mumbai in 1995

Mumbai – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 277 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – Finance, IT, Services, Manufacturing
• Finance – (35%)(related to banks, Real estate related)
• IT – (25%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Services – (25%) (everything other than IT, Finance, agriculture and manufacturing comes under service sector)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Bollywood,Textiles, Pharmaceuticals, Automobiles
• Unemployement rate – 6.5% (2022)
• Literacy rate – 89.7 % (2024)

• Airport – Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM)
• Ports – Mumbai port, Jawahar Lal Nehru port
• Metro – Mumbai Metro (335 km network)
• Railway Stations – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus,Mumbai Central Railway Station (total over 40)
• Roadways – National Highways (3,4,8,17)
• Public transport – BEST(Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply & Transport) buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – University of Mumbai, Indian Institute Of Technology (IITB) (total around 20)
• Institutes – Indian Institute of Management (IIMM), National Institute Of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) (total over 100)

• Hospitals – Tata Memorial Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital, Lilavathi Hospital
• Medical Research – National Institute Of Technology (IITB), Haffkine Institute
• Health Care Infrastructure – 5500+ hospitals, 2500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Gateway Of India, Marine Drive,Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
• Shopping – Linking Road, Colaba Causeway, Chor bazaar

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Municipal Corporations – Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

• Climate – Tropical wet and dry climate
• Temperature range – 22 degrees (winter) to 35 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 21,000/km square
• Challenges – Housing shortage, Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, waste management, traffic congestion

5. HYDERABAD :

Hyderabad is the capital city of Telangana state, also known as “City of Pearls”

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, Hyderabad is one of them

• Name – HYDERABAD
• Location – Telangana, South India
• Population – 1,10,69,000(approx )
• Area – 650 km² (251 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Telugu(official), English, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah in 1591,Mughal era (1687-1724), Nizam era (1724-1948)

Hyderabad – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 200 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Pharmaceuticals, Services, Manufacturing
• IT – (40%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Pharmaceuticals – (20%)(Generic drugs, OTC medicines, Bulk drugs)
• Services – (20%) (everything other than agriculture and manufacturing comes under service sector)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Technology, Biotechnology, Automobile, Textiles
• Unemployement rate – 7.1% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 82.9 % (2024)

• Airport – Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD)
• Metro – Hyderabad Metro (66 km network)
• Railway Stations – Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, Kacheguda Railway Station, Secunderabad Junction , 5 major stations, (Total around 15 stations)
• Roadways – National Highways (7, 9, 44)
• Public transport – TSRTC buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – University of Hyderabad, Osmania University and few more (total around 14)
• Institutes – Indian Institute of technology(IITH), Indian School Of Business(ISB), (total around 28 institutes)

• Hospitals – Apollo Hospital, Care Hospital, KIMS Hospital
• Medical Research – Indian Institute Of Chemical Technology(IICT), National Institute Of Nutrition(NIN)
• Health Care Infrastructure – 3000+ hospitals, 1500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Charminar, Golconda Fort, Qutub Shahi Tomb
• Shopping – Laad Bazaar, Perfume Market, Begum Bazaar

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Muncipal Corporations – Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC)

• Climate – Tropical savanna climate
• Temperature range – 22 degrees (winter) to 40 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 15,571/km square
• Challenges – Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, slums, traffic congestion

6. KOLKATA :

Kolkata is the capital city of West bengal state, it is located on the Eastern bank of River Hooghly

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, kolkata is one of them

• Name – KOLKATA (formerly Calcutta)
• Location – West Bengal, East India
• Population – 15,5,70,800 (approx )
• Area – 1854 km² (716 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Bengali (official), English, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by British East India Company (1690), Capital Of British India(1772-1911) (British colonial era)

Kolkata – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 220 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Automotive, Services, Manufacturing
• IT – (25%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Agriculture – (25%)(Growing crops-fruits, vegetables etc)
• Services – (30%) (everything other than agriculture and manufacturing comes under service sector)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Textiles, Jute, Tea, Engineering
• Unemployement rate – 7.1% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 87.5 % (2024)

• Airport – Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport (CCU)
• Metro – Kolkata Metro (30 km network)
• Railway Stations – Howrah Railway Station, Sealdah Railway Station (total around 20 stations)
• Roadways – National Highways (2, 6, 34)
• Public transport – CSTC buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – University of Calcutta, Jadavpur University (total around 25 to 30)
• Institutes – Indian Institute of Management(IIMC), Indian Institute Of technology(IITKGP) (total around 100 )

• Hospitals – Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, SSKM Hospital
• Medical Research – Indian Institute Of Chemical Biology(IICB), National Institute of Cholera and Enteric diseases(NICED)
• Health Care Infrastructure – 2500+ hospitals, 1500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Victoria memorial, Indian Museum, Howrah Bridge
• Shopping – New market, Chowringhee road, gariahat market

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Muncipal Corporations – Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC)

• Climate – Tropical wet and dry climate
• Temperature range – 15 degrees (winter) to 35 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 25,250/km square
• Challenges – Air pollution, over population, Flooding, Poverty, traffic congestion

7. AHMEDABAD :

Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat state

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in india, Ahmedabad is one of them

• Name – AHMEDABAD
• Location – Gujarat, West India
• Population – 88,54,444 (approx )
• Area – 464 km² (179 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Gujarati (official), English, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah(1411),Mughal era (1572-1753), Maratha era(1753-1818), (1818-1947) (British colonial era)

Ahmedabad – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 136 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Textiles, pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing
• IT – (15%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Textiles – (30%)(Spinning, Weaving, Processing, Apparel manufacturing)
• Pharmaceuticals – (20%) (Generic drugs, OTC medicines, Bulk drugs)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Cotton, Chemicals, Automobile, Engineering
• Unemployement rate – 4.4% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 88.2% (2024)

• Airport – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD
• Metro – Ahmedabad Metro (40 km network)
• Railway Stations – Ahmedabad Railway Station, Gandhigram Railway Station (total around 10-12)
• Roadways – National Highways (8, 59, 147)
• Public transport – AMTS buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – Gujarat University, Ahmedabad University (total 15-20)
• Institutes – Indian Institute of Management(IIMA), Indian Institute Of Technology(DA-IICT) (total over 100)

• Hospitals – Apollo Hospital, Sterling Hospital, CIMS Hospital
• Medical Research – Indian Institute Of Technolology(IITGN), Gujarat Cancer Research Institute
• Health Care Infrastructure – 2000+ hospitals, 1000+ clinics

• Landmarks – Sabarmati Ashram, Akshardham Temple, Adalaj Vav
• Shopping – Law Garden, CG Road, Sindhu Bhavan Road

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Muncipal Corporations – Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC)

• Climate – Semi Arid climate
• Temperature range – 12 degrees (winter) to 43 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 10,150/km square
• Challenges – Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, slums, traffic congestion

8. PUNE :

Pune city is in the state of maharashtra state, also known cultural capital of Maharashtra state

We have 8 Tier 1 cities in India, Pune is one of them

• Name – PUNE
• Location – Maharashtra, West India
• Population – 1,22,90,000 (approx )
• Area – 729 km² (281 sq mi)
• Languages spoken – Marathi(official), English, Hindi
• Timezone – IST (UTC+5:30)(UTC means coordinated universal time similar to GMT)
• History – Founded by Rashtrakuta dynasty (937 AD), Mughal era(1636-1707), Maratha era(1707-1818),(1818-1947) (British colonial era)

Pune – Infrastructure :

• GDP – 69 billion dollars (GDP means gross domestic product,means the total value of all final goods and services produced and sold in market typically in a year. )
• Key sectors – IT, Automotive, Education, Manufacturing
• IT – (35%)(related to information technology, software related)
• Automotive – (25%)(manufacturing of vehicles 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers,passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors, heavy commercial vehicles)
• Education – (20%) (Primary, Secondary, Higher, Vocational education)
• Manufacturing – (20%)(manufacturing of machines ,electronic products etc .. )
• Major industries – Software, Automobile, Engineering, Pharmaceuticals
• Unemployement rate – 3.9% (2023)
• Literacy rate – 89.6 % (2024)

• Airport – Pune International Airport (PNQ)
• Metro – Pune Metro (54 km network)
• Railway Stations – Pune Railway Station, Shivaji Nagar Railway Station (total 10-12)
• Roadways – National Highways (4, 9,48)
• Public transport – PMPML buses, Taxis, Auto rickshaws, Cycle rickshaws.

• Universities – Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune University (total around 15)
• Institutes – Indian Institute of Technology(IITP), National Defence Academy(NDA) (total around 100)

• Hospitals – Apollo Hospital, Jehangir Hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic
• Medical Research – National Institute Of Virology (NIV)
• Health Care Infrastructure – 1500+ hospitals, 500+ clinics

• Landmarks – Shaniwar Wada, Aga Khan Palace, Pune Vishrambag Wada
• Shopping – Mg Road, Pune Camp, Koregaon Park

• Administrator – Mayor, Commissioner
• Muncipal Corporations – Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC)

• Climate – Tropical savanna climate
• Temperature range – 12 degrees (winter) to 35 degrees (summer)
• Monsoon season -June to September
• Population density – 7,800/km square
• Challenges – Air pollution, over population, water scarcity, slums, traffic congestion