Dr. Avnish Jolly, Chandigarh:The Government of India is soon planning to launch a nationwide survey to study the life led by some 68 million people living in the country’s slums. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) Director General PK Ray said that the survey will bring forth the living conditions in urban slums, hardships faced by the slum dwellers, their socio-economic status and the place of their migration.
According to the Planning Commission’s estimates, nearly 62 million people of the total 1.2 billion population lived in urban slums in India in 2001. There will be a shortage of around 25 million houses for them in the next five years. “Housing for the poor is another area of concern. In India, a large number of people are without shelter. There is a big mismatch between the need and supply of housing facilities in the country,” the NSSO Director General.
The year-long survey, which would cover nearly 15,000 villages and blocks in urban centres and to be conducted by the Urban Development Ministry, will start on July 1. The report will be released by October 2009.
The survey would help policy makers and the government to improve the lives of slum dwellers, as earlier the government does not have any such comprehensive study.
According to an estimate of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, there was a shortfall of over 169 million dwelling units – 148 million in rural areas and 21.4 million in urban areas.