New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) India, which has a whopping 70 million poor in its urban areas, Monday launched an initiative to create a database on urban poverty to tackle the growing number of homeless and unemployed people in towns and cities.
The database will assist the government to charter a programme of urban renewal and expansion of social housing in such areas, especially for slum dwellers.
“Lots of data are available on the status of urban poverty, slums, housing and building construction. What we need is to compile everything and make it available for planning, including at the local body level,” Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja said after inaugurating a national consultation on the issue.
Selja said issues concerning the urban poor – land tenure, shelter, basic amenities, skills and employment needs – would be addressed in a comprehensive framework.
According to the National Sample Survey of India (NSSO), the urban poor constitute about 70 million, many of whom live in subhuman conditions.
“Slum-dwellers constitute about one-fourth of the country’s urban population. In some cities, the figure is as high as 50 percent,” Selja pointed out.
“The rate of reduction of urban poverty is almost half of that of rural poverty and the urban poverty ratio is much higher compared to the rural poverty ratio in several large urbanising states.
“Unemployment rates among urban women, especially in slums and small medium towns, are unacceptably high,” she said.
Selja also said urban poverty was closely linked to the economic growth process and distribution of gains from development.
The minister said a proper database along with details about the funds and schemes for poverty alleviation would expedite their implementation as well as transparency.
However, officials said it would take time to make the database available online.
G.K. Vasan, statistics and programme implementation minister, and Suresh Tendulkar, National Statistical Commission chairman, also attended the inaugural function.
According to the 2001 census report, the urban population in the country is 286 million in 5,161 towns and 35 metro cities.
Among them, 35.1 percent have one room houses, 29.5 percent have two rooms, 8.7 percent have three rooms, 3.3 percent have five rooms and four percent have six rooms and above.