latest statistics from the Government show that the number of slums in urban India in 2012 has come down by one-third when compared to three years ago.
Figures released by National Sample Survey Organisation on Tuesday show that the number of slums has reduced to 33,150 (32.34 per cent) in urban regions of the country in 2012, compared to 49,000 in 2009. However, at least 12 per cent of urban population continued to live in slums in 2012.
Maharashtra, with an estimated 7,723 slums, accounted for about 23 per cent of all slums in urban India, followed by Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 13.5 per cent, and West Bengal, which had a share of about 12 per cent.
The NSSO (69th) covered the period between July 2012 and December 2012, and is the second survey to assess the slum situation in India. The previous survey was based on 65th round of NSSO covering the period July, 2008 and June, 2009.
The period 2008-09 was the one when India had witnessed ripple effects of global financial crisis, so economic conditions could have been worse that time.
In a statement, NSSO said that the reduction of slums at the all-India level was because 24 per cent of slums benefited from welfare schemes such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) or any other scheme run by the Central Government or State Government or the local bodies.
Slums, according to the NSSO definition, are identified as, “Any compact settlement with a collection of poorly built tenements, mostly of temporary nature, crowded together, usually with inadequate sanitary and drinking water facilities in unhygienic conditions, provided at least 20 households lived there, was considered a slum for the survey.”
The survey shows that close to 41 per cent of these slums were notified (recognised by municipalities or corporations) and 59 per cent were non-notified. Other slums, not notified by these bodies, were also covered in the survey. At pan India level, 44 per cent of slums — 48 per cent of notified slums and 41 per cent of non-notified slums — were located on private land.
Of the 19,749 non-notified slums estimated to exist in urban India, Maharashtra accounted for about 29 per cent, West Bengal for about 14 per cent, and Gujarat for about 10 per cent.
Out of an estimated 13,761 notified slums in urban India, Andhra Pradesh had about 23 per cent, Maharashtra about 14 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu about 9 per cent each.
" Box:
Estimated 8.8 million households live in urban slums.
Estimated 44 million persons live in slums in urban areas (With avg. household of 5 members)
About 5.6 million households put up in in notified and 3.2 million in non-notified slums.
At all-India level only 6.5% of all slums had no electricity.
In about 60% of all slums, the majority of houses had 'pucca' structures.
71% of all slums had tap as major source of drinking water.
(The survey was carried out in 3,832 urban blocks spread over all states and Union Territories. At the all-India level, 881 slums were surveyed in urban blocks.)