Publication date

जन, 2009

Details

Report submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation

Authors

O. P. Mathur

Abstract

Making cities and towns “slum-free” and ensuring that no new slum settlements crop up form the centerpiece of the proposed national urban poverty reduction strategy. This study, undertaken for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, takes the position that economic growth is central to poverty reduction; however, urban poverty is an outcome not of merely economic, but social, physical, and political processes. Fighting urban poverty and these processes means giving to the urban poor recognition, security, and stability. The study suggests (i) establishment of a 10-year national programme for slum renewal and redevelopment; (ii) a safety net for the urban poor, designed to mitigate the possible adverse effect of economic meltdown and of reform measures; and (iii) laying down a policy to bring additional lands into the urban fold.