Page 35 - Shelter - April 2025

POLICY REVIEW

designed to meet diverse ideas include setting up practices, both from India
needs, including general City Livelihoods Centres and around the world, that
shelters (which make up more (CLC), well-equipped can be adapted, replicated,
than three-quarters), as well Labour Chowks for daily and scaled according to the
as shelters for men, women, wage workers (particularly local context. For instance,
families, and special groups, construction workers), and Bogotá’s “Care Block”
reflecting a wide distribution. improved care infrastructure. initiative addresses the
additional burden of home
Progressive state policies have The CLCs are envisaged as care, which often heightens
allowed regions like Rajasthan one-stop hubs for informal the vulnerability of neglected
and Tamil Nadu to develop a workers, providing spaces women. The program
significant number of SUHs, to market their products
while cities such as Surat and services, access essential centralises key services for
have created large-capacity information, and avail of female caregivers, improving
shelters to accommodate large various government services. their well-being and reducing
the time spent on unpaid
migrant populations. In cities Labour chowks will revamp
like Kanpur and Kochi, SUHs existing labour congregation tasks. Bogotá has established
have played an essential areas into dedicated spaces Care Blocks and Care Buses to
role in promoting economic where workers can access bring essential infrastructure
empowerment by providing basic amenities and find job and services to support
access to PM SVANidhi opportunities. They can also women caregivers and their
loans, skill training, and vital points for disseminating families in both urban and
other resources. In Delhi and vital information about rights rural areas.
Aurangabad, shelters are also and government welfare In Indonesia, community-run
offering educational support schemes, and availing services childcare centres called Taman
to young residents, while in like registration and grievance Penitipan Anak (TPA) support
Vadodara and Kolkata, shelter redressal. Building care working parents, particularly
occupants are being integrated clusters in close proximity to mothers. Established in 2001
into government schemes urban poor households that by the Directorate of Early
such as Aadhar, Poshan, PAN, offer bundled services around Childhood Education, these
and ration cards. The success multigenerational care and centres provide services for
of the SUH component early childhood education children aged 0–6 years.
of NULM showcases the can significantly unburden Located near workplaces
transformative potential the lives of women from low- like plantations, markets,
of social infrastructure in income households, freeing and factories, TPAs serve
addressing the vulnerabilities their time for remunerative both formal and informal
faced by informal workers. work. The collaborative economy workers across all

Over a decade of these efforts of various stakeholders income levels. They operate
interventions have will be crucial to developing 8–10 hours daily, primarily
demonstrated the importance these social infrastructures on run by local foundations,
of enhancing social ground. self-help groups, companies,
1
infrastructure to address Global and Indian Good and private entrepreneurs.
specific occupational needs Practices Learnings drawn from such
and broader vulnerabilities examples would provide
of informal workers. Some There are several good insight in developing centres

1 https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@gender/documents/genericdocument/wcms_737555.pdf

April, 2025, Volume 26. No.1 - SHELTER 33