Page 34 - Shelter - April 2025
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POLICY REVIEW
healthcare, and education. social capital for access. In any food assistance, subsidies
Poor infrastructure society, social infrastructure, etc.
exacerbates the socio- which includes soft and
economic challenges faced by hard infrastructure around However, cities face
the urban poor, trapping them services and processes that enormous challenges such
in cycles of poverty. In Indian respond to community as land scarcity, resource
cities, it is not uncommon for needs and enhance their mismanagement, operational
the working poor, including social capacities, plays an inefficiencies, and funding
many migrants, to live on important role in upholding constraints in producing
footpaths or rely on homeless quality of life, equity, law and managing social
shelters for housing and and order, stability and infrastructure. We argue that
depend heavily on public social well-being. Without creative and collaborative
sanitation facilities and targeted investments in social approaches are the need of
community canteens for their infrastructure, urban areas the hour, so that communities
basic needs. Construction risk deepening inequalities, of the working urban poor
workers and labourers in exacerbating poverty, and are equal participants and
transportation and logistics stalling socio-economic beneficiaries of ‘Viksit Bharat
frequently congregate in mobility, particularly for the Vision 2047’, which aims to
unregulated areas in search urban poor. establish India as a $32 trillion
of daily wage employment. economy.
Women providing care to In this article, we highlight
affluent households in the how the development of Past and Emerging
form of domestic help or adequate and inventive Responses
childcare often leave their social infrastructure can In alignment with its guiding
children without adequate contribute to crucial philosophy of “Sarvodaya se
care when they are working. aspects of the Government Antyodaya tak” (from welfare
Improving quality and access of India’s existing policy for all to the upliftment of
to infrastructure is not only measures towards inclusive the last person), India is
supportive of the livelihoods urbanisation, including the dedicated to addressing the
of the urban poor but also following: challenges faced by its urban
essential to help them endure (i) The acknowledgement poor. Through initiatives
harsh conditions, including of a crucial unorganised such as the National Urban
exposure to extreme weather, workforce through Livelihoods Mission
exploitation, and health risks. registration, both through (NULM), the government is
Informal sector workers national databases like making significant progress
experience multiple the E-Shram and through in enhancing infrastructure
deprivations, including state- and scheme- and services for marginalized
infrastructural deficiencies, specific modalities; urban communities, with the
due to their residential, (ii) Improved access to basic goal of breaking the cycle of
occupational, social, and amenities and services multidimensional poverty.
economic vulnerabilities. like water, sanitation and In the first phase of NULM,
Unable to afford market- energy; and over 1,950 Shelters for Urban
provided infrastructure, they Homeless (SUH) have been
depend on public provision, (iii) The provision of social established, accounting for
and particularly rely on protection and safety 80% of the total shelter space
community networks and nets including pensions, created. These shelters are
32 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
