Slum Up-gradation Initiatives

The neo-liberal urban economists regard slums as the natural response of the market in providing housing for the urban poor. Urban poor are engaged as consumers, producers, and asset-builders by government and business leaders. So it is important to tackle urban poverty and its spatial manifestations within the economic and social development framework of the nation. This paper deals with the evolution of policies related to Basic Services and housing practices initiatives for the urban poor taken up by GoI.

The discussion is divided into three sections. The first section talks about the housing shortage scenario of the urban poor using data from the Census 2001 and 2011 and the National Sample Survey’s (NSS) Housing Conditions round units. The second section deals with slum up-gradation schemes, approaches, and poverty alleviation programmes in India resulting in a shift from negative policies such as forced eviction, benign neglect, and involuntary resettlement, to more positive policies such as self-help and in situ upgrading, enabling, and rights-based policies.

Also Read: Beyond Bulldozing: Is Slum Upgrading a means to realize the Right to Adequate Housing?