UN report: Modi's "affordable" housing scheme financially inaccessible for informal settlements of urban India

A United Nations report has taken strong exception to lack of a “national legislation” which recognizes housing as a human right in India, adding, in India there exist “sizeable gaps in infrastructure and essential services required for the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing”, with state-run housing schemes lacking perspective.

Prepared for the 34th session of the Human Rights Council, which began on February 27 and ends on March 24, the “Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing” especially takes exception to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for failing to take note of “the affordability" factor, especially for those living in informal settlements.
It says, the credit-based subsidies scheme, which provide lower interest rates than the market rate (6.5 per cent as opposed to 10 per cent average at market level), is proving to be “financially inaccessible.”
.“That would result in residents having to stay in transition camps longer than originally expected. The conditions in the camps are not much better than in informal settlements, as they are meant to be temporary at best”, the report underlines.
In fact, say the report, some of the units that are being offered are “not more than 30 square metres, regardless of family size”, adding, even some developers agreed that “the units are far too small for families with five to eight members, the average size of many informal settlers’ households.”
“Overcrowding, it is feared, will quickly lead to deterioration in the rehabilitation sites”, the report says, adding, “The scheme is open only to those who can prove they have resided in the listed informal settlement since before the cut-off date, essentially disqualifying new arrivals.”
“Moreover, even for those who have resided there for some time, the requirements for proof of residency can be difficult to meet, given the barriers to acquiring adequate and necessary documentation, such as voter identification card, identity cards or ration cards for social benefits to support residency claims”, says the report.
The report estimates that there are 13.75 million households (between 60 and 70 million people) in urban areas who are “compelled to live in extremely inadequate housing conditions in informal settlements.”
Quoting 2015 figures, thanks to these informal settlements, the report says, 44 per cent of the urban areas do not have piped water, 37 per cent of them do not have proper sanitation facilities, and 10 per cent depend on open defecation.
“Informal settlements are referred to as ‘slums’ in official discourse”, the report says, expressing surprise that “many government officials and members of the judiciary consider residents of informal settlements to be living there illegally, and often stigmatize them as ‘encroachers’ or ‘occupiers’.”
“Many residents of informal settlements lack security of tenure, one of the cornerstones of the right to adequate housing”, the report says, adding, “Forced evictions, displacement and demolitions are not uncommon practices, used by the central Government in some states to advance the economic development agenda of the country.”
The report regrets, “National data on the number of households evicted each year is not collected by either level of government”, though adding, “Information collected by civil society suggests that recourse to eviction is extensive, showing that between 2010 and 2015, close to 250,000 people in urban areas were forcibly evicted from their homes.”
---
Download full report HERE

Comments

When Pakistanis whispered: ‘end military rule’ — A Moscow memoir

During the recent anti-terror operation inside Pakistan by the Government of India, called Operation Sindoor — a name some feminists consider patently patriarchal, even though it’s officially described as a tribute to the wives of the 26 husbands killed in the terrorist strike — I was reminded of my Moscow stint, which lasted for seven long years, from 1986 to 1993.

Revisiting Gijubhai: Pioneer of child-centric education and the caste debate

It was Krishna Kumar, the well-known educationist, who I believe first introduced me to the name — Gijubhai Badheka (1885–1939). Hailing from Bhavnagar, known as the cultural capital of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Gijubhai, Kumar told me during my student days, made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy — something that hasn't received much attention from India's education mandarins. At that time, Kumar was my tutorial teacher at Kirorimal College, Delhi University.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.

Search This Blog