The urban poor, although one of the most disadvantaged sections of the country, is also among the hardest to target for government. While the new government, as visible in the recent Budget, has paid some attention to enhancing services and attempted to increase the provision of facilities for the urban poor, the success of all these social welfare schemes will hinge on what Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee highlighted in his speech as a challenge: “re-energising government and improving delivery mechanisms.” This is doubly problematic when it comes to our cities.

India has been rapidly urbanising; the urban poor, who number 100 million, are the fastest growing segment of India’s population. Living mostly in temporary (and hence frequently undocumented) settlements, they lack access to water supply, sanitation and healthcare services. The poor living standards and suboptimal healthcare is reflected in high child mortality rates — one in 14 children do not live to see their fifth birthday, according to the 2005-06 National Family Health Survey.

Several of the newly-announced social welfare schemes have the potential to positively impact living conditions of the urban poor. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, for example, has set aside — under the heading “Basic Services for the Urban Poor” — an allocation for housing and amenities of Rs 3,973 crore, including the provision for Rajiv Awas Yojana announced recently. The problem this will take on is vast: there is currently a shortage of 2.6 crore housing units in cities, almost all of which is for low-income groups. It will be critical to ensure that these provisions reach the most disadvantaged city dwellers.

... contd.