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NEWS ALERTS | Decline in Homeless Population: Census Data
Decline in Homeless Population: Census Data

Decline in Homeless Population: Census Data

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published Published on Aug 11, 2014   modified Modified on Feb 9, 2020

As the country celebrates 68th anniversary of her independence this year, recent data from the Census 2011 reveals that the population of homeless declined by 8.8% between 2001 and 2011 to reach 17.7 lakhs. This means that 4.5 lakh households (of average household size 3.9) still do not have any shelter to sleep safely.

Although the percentage share of homeless in total population is miniscule (i.e. 0.15%), in absolute numbers this figure is quite high and, thus, cannot be ignored.

The Census 2011 follows a strict definition of houseless household. Households which do not live in buildings or Census houses but live in the open or roadside, pavements, in hume-pipes, under fly-overs and staircases, or in the open in places of worship, mandaps, railway platforms, etc., are treated as houseless households.

Experts, however, think that official figures often are underestimations given that it is difficult to track a homeless household which lacks abode, address and even a fixed spatial location. Households living in dilapidated homes or households without access to basic amenities, infrastructure or services apart from households with too many members living under a single roof (congestion factor) should also be termed as homeless.

The Census has found that between 2001 and 2011 houseless population in urban areas grew by 20.5% but in rural areas it declined by 28.4%. The proportion of houseless children in houseless population has declined from 17.8% in 2001 to 15.3% in 2011.

Census 2011 has presented data on homeless households by household size. Most number of homeless households at the national-level comprise single member households (total: 110831) to be followed by 7+ member households (total: 74132). The population of homeless in urban areas (9.4 lakhs) is more than that in rural areas (8.3 lakhs).

The top 5 states in terms of number of homeless population are: Uttar Pradesh (3.3 lakh), Maharashtra (2.1 lakh), Rajasthan (1.8 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (1.46 lakh) and Andhra Pradesh (1.45 lakh). Gujarat (1.4 lakh) comes 6th. However, if one considers the ratio of homeless population to total population (in a particular state), the top 5 big states are: Rajasthan (0.3%), Gujarat (0.24%), Haryana (0.2%), Madhya Pradesh (0.2%) and Maharashtra (0.19%).

Census 2011 has also provided data on the basic amenities enjoyed and assets owned by households of various sizes. About those who have shelter, the Census says that 5.35% of Indian households live in dilapidated homes. Contrary to this, 8.1% of SC households and 6.3% of ST households stay in dilapidated homes.

While 53% of all households nationally do not have a latrine within the premises, the figure rises to 66% and 77% for SC and ST households respectively, and, within them, to 78% and 88% for female-headed SC and ST households, respectively, as per the India Exclusion Report 2013-14. About 82% of all households in India have either open or no drains for waste water. This figure rises to 88% for female-headed households and to 94% for ST households.

Only 29.04% Indian households (21.9% SC households and 10.1% ST households) live in houses whose roof material is made of concrete. The rest of India live in houses whose roof material is made of Grass/ Thatch/ Bamboo/ Wood/Mud, hand made tiles, machine made tiles, burnt brick, stone/slate, G.I./Metal/Asbestos sheets, plastic/polythene etc.

Only 47.53 percent Indian households (44.26% SC household and 21.21% ST households) live in homes whose material of wall is made of burnt brick. The rest of India live in homes whose wall material is made of Grass/ Thatch/ Bamboo/ Wood/Mud, stone packed with mortar, stone not packed with mortar, G.I./Metal/ Asbestos sheets, plastic/polythene, wood, concrete, unburnt brick etc.

According to the Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage, dearth of housing in urban India stands at 18.78 million in 2012 with 95 percent shortage in economically weaker section (EWS)/ low income group (LWG) segments. The rural housing shortage is estimated at 43.9 million in 2012 with 90 percent of the shortage in lower income and marginalized segments, as per the National Housing Bank.

It is worth mentioning that in his budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced setting up a Mission on Low Cost Affordable Housing, which will be anchored in the National Housing Bank. Apart from that he allocated a sum of Rs. 4,000 crores for National Housing Bank (NHB) with a view to increase the flow of cheaper credit for affordable housing to the urban poor/EWS/LIG segment. Allocations for the year 2014-15 has been increased to Rs. 8,000 crore for National Housing Bank (NHB) with a view to expand and continue to support Rural Housing in the country. Jaitley has extended additional tax incentive on home loans to encourage people, especially the young, to own houses. He has proposed to add inclusion of slum development in the list of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to encourage the private sector to contribute more towards this activity.


References:

HH -2 Houseless Households By Household Size
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/hh-series/hh02.html

Percentage of Households to Total Households by Amenities and Assets
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/hlo/Houselisting-
housing-PCA.html

Presentation Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract Houseless Population, http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-Documents/Houseless%20P
PT%2005-12-2013.pdf

Housing For Poor Can Spur Economic Growth, http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/housing-for-poor-can-
spur-economic-growth-23978.html

Report on Trend and Progress of Housing in India 2013 by National Housing Bank
http://www.nhb.org.in/Publications/Progress-report-2013-EN
GLISH.pdf

Report on Trend and Progress of Housing in India (previous years),
http://www.nhb.org.in/Publications/trends.php

Housing Shortages in Rural India-Shamsher Singh, Madhura Swaminathan, and VK Ramachandran, Review of Agrarian Studies, Volume 3, Number 2 (July-December, 2013),
http://www.ras.org.in/housing_shortages_in_rural_india

Houselisting and Housing Census Data Highlights-2011,
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/hlo/hlo_highlights.html

Key Indicators of Urban Slums in India (July 2012 to December 2012), National Sample Survey 69th Round,
http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/key-indicator
s-of-urban-slums-in-india-23741.html

http://www.im4change.orghttps://im4change.in/siteadmin/tin
ymce//uploaded/NSS%2069th%20Round%20Slum%20Survey.pdf

Report of the Technical Group (11th FYP) on Estimation of Urban Housing Shortage, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, http://mhupa.gov.in/ministry/housing/housingshortage-rept.pdf

India's Target For Homeless: 60,000 Houses A Year -Saumya Tewari, June 24, 2014, http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/indias-target-for-ho
meless-60000-houses-a-year-29465

Budget Speech of 2014-2015 by Arun Jaitley

Image Courtesy: Himanshu Joshi



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