New Delhi, June 20 -- As India braces for an influx of 70 million new urban residents over the next two decades, government officials and industry leaders are calling for a strategic pivot in the country's urban development narrative--from rebuilding to revitalisation.

"Infrastructure must be delivered--if the private sector can do it better, let them," said D Thara, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said.

She was delivering the keynote address at a CII conference on Exploring Urban Dynamics: Outlook 2030" held in the capital on Friday.

There is a disconnect between India's economic ambitions and the capacities of its urban local bodies, Thara said, urging the private sector to be proactively engaged in the u...