The CAG report on the Delhi Government’s target to construct a whopping 4 lakh low-cost housing units under Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) programme reveals how ill-prepared and ill-suited

Jaipur: The state government has decided to constitute a ‘rehabilitation cell’ for smooth rehabilitation of people living in slums and kacchi basti. The cell will perform under Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) with a separate staff and is expected to start functioning from June.

Marred by staff shortage and pressure from several quarters to clear encroachments from government land, the government granted permission to set up a different body and approved the permission for the creation of 12 posts for the cell. The consent came after JDA requested the state government to give extra manpower for carrying the tasks of relocation.

New Delhi: Nearly one in every six urban Indian residents lives in a slum, newly released Census data shows.

Pune: A survey conducted by World Bank under its water and sanitation programme for Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has revealed that 53% of the residents surveyed were not satisfied with the timings and duration of water supply.

A total of 5,208 houses were covered by the survey conducted in October-November 2012. The study revealed that only 20% of the people agreed that the timings of water supply at public taps was convenient.

Life in a slum is comparable to life in most urban households in India, according to Census 2011 data on living conditions in slums.

To assess the urban poverty alleviation work being done at the slum level, minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation Ajay Maken on Thursday said his ministry will frame "Slum Upgradation Index" city wise and state wise for monitoring the upgradation of slums in the country periodically.

“A committee will be set up to suggest the methodology for drafting this index. This slum data will help in redrawing our schemes and fix priorities under various schemes of the ministry,” Maken said while speaking at a function of release of report on housing stock, amenities and assets in slums based on House Listing and Housing Census 2011.

Though they have most basic amenities, sanitation is missing

Slum residents have better access to drinking water and electricity than their counterparts in the urban non-slum areas, claims a report on ‘Housing Stock, Amenities and Assets in Slums’ released here on Thursday. The report also says the number of slums in the country has declined. The first-of-its-kind survey, based on Houselisting and Housing Census 2011 conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, has revealed that slum residents have most basic amenities like drinking water and electricity and even facilities like mobile phones, internet and private vehicles: the only service missing is sanitation.

Civil society representatives from South Asian countries here on Monday adopted a charter of demands, pressing the governments in the region to improve sanitation services for the entire population