Page 33 - Shelter - April 2025

POLICY REVIEW

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: STRENGTHENING SOCIAL

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE URBAN POOR

MUKTA NAIK AND Ensuring that the benefits cultural exchange, driving
of India’s urbanisation and
the nation’s development.
KANIKA BANSAL economic development are Ensuring that the benefits
accessible to all—especially of this progress reach
marginalised and vulnerable all segments of society,
populations—is a crucial aspect particularly marginalised
of the Sustainable Development and vulnerable groups, is
Goal 11 and the New Urban key to the realisation of the
Agenda. Recognising the deep Sustainable Development
linkage of urban poverty with
infrastructure and services Goals and the New Urban
like housing, healthcare and Agenda.
education, this article focuses on The Indian labour market is
the role of social infrastructure predominantly informal, with
in alleviating the social and around 90% of the workforce
economic vulnerabilities of the engaged in precarious and
urban poor and breaking the
vicious cycle of poverty. Drawing unregulated jobs. In urban
on the current policy directions areas, informal workers
of the Ministry of Housing provide critical services like
and Urban Affairs, the article construction, waste picking
explores possible strategies for and sorting, street vending
the sustainable development of and domestic work, but
essential social infrastructure find themselves relegated to
like homeless shelters, crèches, the fringes of society. This
labour chowks, vending zones, became painfully evident
etc. Further, it outlines planning during the COVID-19
provisions, operations and pandemic, when authorities
maintenance strategies and realised that mandatory
Mukta Naik, Lead-Policy, financial sustainability models stay-at-home policies were
Centre for Sustainable Urban to make such infrastructure un-implementable for those
Livelihoods, National Institute of sustainable and responsive; and who relied on daily wages for
Urban Affairs provides illustrative examples to economic survival and used
muktanaik@niua.org inspire localised action.
substandard shared amenities
Kanika Bansal, Research Fellow, Introduction to meet basic human needs.
Centre for Sustainable Urban
Livelihoods, National Institute of Indian cities are rapidly Urban poverty is closely tied
Urban Affairs emerging as hubs of economic to limited access to quality
kbansal@niua.org growth, innovation, and housing, basic services,

April, 2025, Volume 26. No.1 - SHELTER 31