| Date 04-Mar-2014 to 04-Mar-2014 |
Location Raipur, Chhattisgarh |
Format Sub National |
Contribution and Challenges of Urban Poor: State Level Consultation, Raipur
According to Census 2011, 10 states in the country account for about 85 per cent of total slum households. The top 5 states – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh – account for about 65 per cent of total slum households. At the All India level, 36 per cent of urban slum dwellers do not have basic services like electricity, tap water and sanitation.
PRIA organized a state level consultation on the Contribution and Challenges of Urban Poor on 4 March 2014 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The main objective of the consultation was to share PRIA’s report on the Socio-Economic Contribution of Urban Poor in Chhattisgarh and highlight the importance of the need to address the concerns of the urban poor among the various political parties contesting for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The consultation brought together different stakeholders – political parties and senior bureaucrats, informal settlers and civil society – from the state who play a crucial role in the governance and management of cities as well as those who are engaged on issues of urban governance, especially urban poverty. The participation of various stakeholders and the enriching deliberations led to some critical and important recommendations for policy advocacy and promises by political parties on their election manifestoes.
The deliberations began with a presentation on the urban poverty scenario in India and information about the Forum for Informal Urban Poor Workers (FIUPW), which is a platform of 28 informal sector federations and associations. A briefing of the recent study conducted by PRIA in 50 major cities of India was also provided.
PRIA’s study estimates that the urban poor contribute more than 7.56 per cent to urban GDP of India. From the study, the socio economic contribution of the urban poor in Chhattisgah was highlighted. Nearly half the urban poor in Raipur have an average income of Rs 5000. Majority (92 per cent) have voter ID cards, resulting in over 90 per cent voting in all levels of elections (municipal, state and national). While nearly three-fourths (70 per cent) have ration cards, only a little over a third have bank accounts and Aadhar cards.
| Income Distribution of Raipur Urban Poor | ||
| Household Percentage | Average Income | Expenditure |
| 46% | 5000 | 91% |
| 44% | 5000to 10,000 | 84% |
| 8% | 10,000 to 20,000 | 79% |
| 1% | 20,000 to 30,000 | 82% |
| Facilities | Percentage |
| Ration Card | 70% Families |
| Aadhar Card | 34.6% Urban Poor |
| Voter Card | 92% People |
| Bank Account | 38% Families |
| Voting Percentage | Elections |
| Voting Percentage | Elections |
| 92 | Municipal Elections |
| 93 | State Legislative Elections |
| 92 | Lok Sabha Elections |
It is quite evident that the urban poor very enthusiastically participate in voting, showing that they use their rights efficiently.
The outline of the manifesto prepared by FIUPW members was also shared. It includes four important demands:
Dr. Hunamant Yadav, a renowned economist and Former Advisor, State Planning Commission, Chhattisgarh appreciated PRIA’s work and said that, “Provision of identity card to informal settlers and informal settlements is an important issue which needs consideration. Informal settlers are usually migrants who neither possess Aadhar card nor an identity card. Employment and social security are other important issues for informal settlers. Urban poverty possesses the problems of housing and shelter, water, sanitation, health, education, social security, and livelihoods along with special needs of vulnerable groups like women, children and aged people. Institutions of urban governance are constantly battling these challenges, as rising urbanization is also leading to increasing ‘urbanization of poverty’.” He said PRIA should conduct workshops with parshads to generate awareness on various issues.
Mr. Sanjoy Sammandar, Project Director, IIHMR highlighted the role of rag pickers and waste pickers. “Rag pickers play a major role in urban areas. They directly and indirectly contribute to society and in return they get hardly anything. The government does not care about them and there are no education opportunities for their kids. Since they are migrants and keep moving from one place to another, this affects their children’s education.” Through this platform he urged policy makers to consider this issue seriously. He also felt that the poorest of the poor should be surveyed deeply, in particular the “economic shock” of inflation on the urban poor. He asked politicians to add a target based agenda in their manifesto with a clear cut approach towards attaining set targets.
Different political parties made a range of promises they would work towards if elected:
Mr. Sadanand Markandey, State President, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), promised their party will work on:
Ms. Prabha Dubey, State Vice-President, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), promised to:
Mr. Sandeep Tiwari, District Secretary, Aam Admi Party (AAP), didn’t make any promise but emphasized accountability and decentralization of power, saying, “The main reason behind urban slum formation is migration of villagers from rural to urban areas. Forced eviction is the main threat faced by slum dwellers. It needs to stop and an urban rehabilitation policy draft needs to be prepared.”
Dr. Sushil Trivedi, Former State Election Commissioner, Chhattisgarh in his closing remarks said, “A few days ago the Supreme Court has given guidelines to the Election Commission that all political parties manifestoes will fall under the code of conduct and they have to fulfill all promises that are mentioned in their party manifests”. He welcomed this judgement, acknowledging that the common man’s power and knowledge is more than that of MLAs, MPs and bureaucrats.