Metropolitan cities in India are regarded as vital economical, cultural and political centres.

Further,
the metropolitan cities in the country are also considered as the crucial hub for regional or
international associations and communications. In India, the Census Commission defines a
Metropolitan City as one possessing a population of more than 40 lakh (4 million). There are around
100 metropolitan cities in India, out of which Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai are the 4 cities that
qualify as the top metro cities in the country. Inhabitants of the metropolitan cities in India are also
entitled to get a higher House Rent Allowance. The figure however, only applies to the city region and
not the urban extension. The metropolitan, or more popularly, the metro cities of India, can very much
be identified by the sky-scraping buildings, huge shopping malls, smooth and accessible roads,
technically advanced hospitals, establishment of various corporate units, pleasing restaurants and
other such amenities.
The other metropolitan cities are Bengaluru,Hyderabad, Kanpur, Surat, Nagpur, Udaipur, Srinagar,
Jhansi, Bokaro, Ajmer, Puducherry, Ranchi, Chandigarh, Tirupur, Bikaner, Jalandhar, Gwalior,
Moradabad, Belgaum, Warangal among others.
Advantages of Metropolitan cities in India
The advantages of living in a metropolitan in India are no doubt endless. These metropolitans
showcase a true merging of modernity and antiquity. The metropolitan cities in current India are also
very much economically well developed, with the Central Government shelling out every kind of
treasure to make Indian metropolises appear the most appropriate to the overseas market. These 8
cities already mentioned, are fashioned with modern facilities and comforts of all kinds, which brings
umpteen aspiring ambitious people in search of prospects to fulfill their dreams. The metropolitan
Indian cities provide adequate employment opportunities to the employment seekers and enthusiasts.
They also incessantly furnish excellent means of enjoyment and fun, with the contemporary Indian
state of affairs also attracting the night life revellers enjoying to their heart`s content in a class and
section of their own.
However, besides the five A-1 cities (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai), Metropolitan
cities in India also possesses a Second Tier (A-2) of sophisticated cities, comprising of Hyderabad,
Ahmedabad and Pune. The Metropolitan cities in India are mentioned as follows -

Mumbai
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is considered as the financial hub and financial capital of India.
It is one of the world`s fourth major metropolitan agglomerations. Mumbai is famous for the Indian
Film Industry, known as Bollywood, Bombay Stock Exchange and is referred to as the commercial
capital of India. Mumbai /mmba/, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state
of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world,
with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Along with the neighbouring
urban areas, including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban
regions in the world.[8] Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In
2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city.[9] It is also the wealthiest city in India,[10] and has the
highest GDP of any city in South, West or Central Asia. Mumbai has been ranked 6th among top 10
global cities on billionaire count, ahead of Shanghai, Paris and Los Angeles. [11]

The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies.
Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, it is also one of the world's top 10
centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, The city also houses India's Hindi (Bollywood)
and Marathi film and television industry.

New Delhi
New Delhi, the Capital city, is considered as an imperative commercial centre of South Asia. The key
service industries of New Delhi include Telecommunications, Information Technology, Banking, Media,
Hotels and Tourism. New Delhi is also the administrative hub of India and houses the Indian
Parliament.
Delhi (/dli/, also known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi) is a metropolitan region in India
that includes the national capital city, New Delhi. It is India's second-most-populous city after
Mumbai, and the largest city in terms of area. With a population of 22 million in 2011, the city is the
fourth-largest city in the world.[2][3] The NCT and its urban region have been given the special
status of National Capital Region (NCR) under the Constitution of India's 69th amendment act of
1991. In AD 1639, the Mughal emperor Shahjahan built a new walled city in Delhi, which served as
the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649 until the Rebellion of 1857.[9][10] The British captured
Delhi in 1857 and the city replaced Kolkata as the seat of British government in India in 1911.[11] A
new capital city, New Delhi, was built to the south of the old city during the 1920s. [12] When the British
left India in 1947, New Delhi became the national capital and seat of government.

Kolkata
Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, is India`s third most populous metropolitan area. The city,
situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, is the major business, commercial and financial
hub of eastern India and also of the north-eastern states. Kolkata was a prime centre of the Indian
Freedom Struggle and still acts as a major hub for modern day state politics. The Port of Kolkata is
India's oldest operating port as well as its sole major riverine port. As of 2011, the city had 4.5 million
residents; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to
approximately 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. As of 2008,
its economic output as measured by gross domestic product ranked third among South Asian cities,
behind Mumbai and Delhi.[6] As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Kolkata confronts
substantial urban pollution, traffic congestion, poverty, overpopulation, and other logistic and
socioeconomic problems.

Chennai
Chennai is the fourth largest metropolitan area of India and the capital city of the Indian state
of Tamil Nadu. The urban agglomeration of Chennai has an approximate population over 8
million, making it one of the largest urban agglomerations in India. Roughly 40% of the automobile
industries are based in Chennai and hence the place is also recognised as the Automobile Capital of
India. Chennai i/tna/ (unofficially known by its former name, Madras i/mdrs/) is the capital
city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chennaipattinam , Madrasapattinam are the other former names
of the city. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is a major commercial, cultural,
economic and educational center in South India. The area around Chennai had been part of

successive South Indian kingdoms through centuries. The recorded history of the city began in the
colonial times, specifically with the arrival of British East India Company and the establishment of Fort
St. George in 1644. The British defended several attacks from the French colonial forces, and from
the kingdom of Mysore, on Chennai's way to becoming a major naval port and presidency city by the
late eighteenth century. Following the independence of India, Chennai became the capital of Tamil
Nadu and an important centre of regional politics that tended to bank on the Dravidian identity of the
populace.
According to the provisional results of 2011 census, the city had 4.68 million residents making it the
sixth most populous city in India; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs,
was home to approximately 8.9 million, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the
country and 31st largest urban area in the world. Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in
the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. As of 2012,
the city is India's second largest exporter of information technology (IT) and business process
outsourcing (BPO) services.[4][5] A major part of India's automobile industry is based in and around the
city thus earning it the nickname "Detroit of India".[6][7][8] Chennai is an important centre for Carnatic
music and hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes
performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a diverse theatre scene and is one of the important
centres for Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, colloquially known as
Kollywood, is based in the city.[9] The city is host to the third largest expatriate population in India after
Mumbai and Delhi, with 35,000 in 2009 and steadily climbing to 82,790 in 2011. [