Mumbai home to most slum dwellers

Mumbai has the highest number of citizens living in slums, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Quoting figures available from the 2001 census, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja said that in Mumbai over 64 lakh people were living in slums followed by Delhi (18.51 lakh) and Kolkata (14.85 lakh).

Replying to a question raised by BJP MP Hema Malini, Selja said as per estimates by Town and Country Planning Organisation, the slum population over the past three census in the country has increased.

It has risen from 27.9 million in 1981 to 46.2 million in 1991 and 61.8 million in 2001.

To address the issues of provision of housing and civic amenities in slums in addition to city-wide infrastructure facilities, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has been launched, the minister said.

She added, "the basic services to the urban poor programme addresses housing and civic amenities in 63 mission cities."

Similar problems of non-mission cities are addressed through the scheme of Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme, Selja said.