Urban Poor News - India Together

RIGHT TO HOUSING
Urban poor lack a roof over their head

Looking into what’s happening in the State of Karnataka, Kathyayini Chamaraj discusses the
housing needs and rights of the urban poor.

Government Poverty

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MUMBAI'S WOES

When cities go under

Mumbai is closer to finalising its 20-year development plan, from 2014 to 2034. The plan might be hiding more than it reveals, writes Darryl D'Monte.

Urban Cities Environment

DOMESTIC WORKERS

Can we do something for those we cannot do without?

In an upper to middle income household a domestic help and her services are indispensable. Yet, she is not given the diginity, living wages and other benefits one gets in the organised sector. Pushpa Achanta talks to the activists working for the domestic workers' rights to find what it will take to recognise these rights in our society.

Livelihood Society

TOILETS FOR ALL

India’s sanitation puzzle: Missing the complete picture?

The focus on ending open defecation and ensuring a toilet in every home is a limited one. Lasting success will require a much larger focus on sanitation, writes Aditya Bhol.

Waste Health

DEVELOPMENT OF AHMEDABAD

How ‘smart’ is Ahmedabad?

As the Prime Minister launches his vision for cities in the country, it is pertinent to ask what his record has been in the largest city of the state where he was Chief Minister before becoming PM. A recent study finds many pluses, and some minuses. Darryl D'Monte reports.

Urban Cities Government GUJARAT

TALES FROM THE STREET

The invisible makers of the city

Homeless, vulnerable in equal measure to the vagaries of nature and human whims, and deprived of any form of social security, street dwellers often provide critical services, helping to sustain themselves and also the city. Pushpa Achanta meets some of them in Bengaluru and finds out more about their existence.

Livelihood Displacement Poverty

THE URBAN VISION

Are there smarter ways to run our cities?

The ruling government has allocated 7,060 crores of rupees for smart cities, but do our realities allow for westernised ICT-driven smart cities? Darryl D’Monte dwells on what would really make our cities smart, based on deliberations at the second Urban Age conference.

Waste Cities Economy Government

INTERNAL MIGRANTS

Could Aadhaar be the game changer for footloose labour?

Several recent studies bring out the abysmal deprivation from entitlements among India’s vast internal migrant population. Shambhu Ghatak throws light on the problems faced by migrants and explores if the UID can indeed live up to its promise of making mobility a smoother process.

Labour Issues Economy Government

URBAN INEQUALITY

What future for the cities within our cities?

Generalised policies that draw up uniform plans for cities also end up marginalising millions among the urban poor. Shirish Khare emphasises the need for more inclusive and participatory development if India is to meet the huge urbanisation challenge that lies ahead.

Cities Poverty

ENDLESS STRIFE

Awakening the somnolent state

The common thread between our external and internal security predicaments is our approach to time. Most security issues are long-standing and seemingly interminable. If we understood why this is so, we can change it, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

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URBAN POVERTY

Street-side story

Though the homeless exist in large numbers, society tries to render them invisible, says a recent study on homelessness in four Indian cities. Arpan Tulsyan reports on the findings.

Housing Cities Poverty

Wages of old age: Chingrajpara's elderly

The senior citizens of Chingrajpara slum in Bilaspur are unable to benefit from the largesse of the many government departments in New Delhi. In this fifth article in our SLUM DIARIES series, Ashima Sood notes that they go begging in the alleys of the slum, depending instead on their more reliable humble neighbours.

Poverty Chhatisgarh

Municipal budgets and poverty

As poverty in Karnataka acquires a larger urban face, municipal administrations must reorient themselves to meet basic needs, says Kathyayini Chamaraj.

Cities Government

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Amitabha Basu

Retired Scientist
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