Over 938,000 Individuals Without Shelter in Urban India; Delhi Hosts 46,724 Unsheltered Residents: Government
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New Delhi, Dec 17 (NationPress) A staggering 9.38 lakh individuals find themselves homeless in urban regions of India, with the national capital accounting for 46,724 shelterless individuals, as disclosed in Parliament on Tuesday.
According to data from the Census of India 2011, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu stated in a written reply in Lok Sabha that the highest number of urban homeless, totaling 1,80,929, are located in Uttar Pradesh.
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh follow closely, with 1,11,373 and 1,04,967 homeless individuals respectively, as reported by the MoS.
Tokhan highlighted that the Census of India performs a population enumeration every ten years, which includes counting the homeless.
As per the 2011 Census, the total number of urban individuals without shelter was 9,38,348, according to the MoS.
As of November 20, based on reports from States/UTs, there are 1,994 operational shelters with a capacity of 1.16 lakh under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). Additionally, 722 non-NULM shelters are operational, accommodating 24,757 individuals, as mentioned by the MoS.
Tokhan stated that the operational guidelines of the Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) component of DAY-NULM mandate that urban local bodies conduct systematic third-party surveys in cities and towns to assess the number of homeless individuals and the need for shelters.
The MoS pointed out that States/UTs have reported significant challenges in providing shelter to the urban homeless, including the lack of suitable land for constructing new shelters and difficulties in mobilizing resources for operating and maintaining SUH beyond five years.
Moreover, the unwillingness of homeless individuals to leave their long-term locations and the frequent migration of these individuals were also highlighted as challenges by the states, the MoS added.
In his written reply, the MoS emphasized that it is primarily the responsibility of States/Union Territories to offer shelters to the urban homeless.
“Nonetheless, to support their initiatives, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs oversees SUH under DAY-NULM, in collaboration with the respective States/UTs. This initiative aims to provide permanent shelters equipped with essential facilities for the urban homeless,” stated the MoS.
The operational guidelines of SUH stipulate the identification and rescue of urban homeless individuals, making urban local bodies (ULBs) and the agencies operating the shelters accountable for ensuring that no homeless person in their jurisdiction has to spend the night outdoors,” the MoS concluded.
