Question : SURVEY REGARDING SLUM DWELLERS

(a) whether the Government has been pumping money for the improvement of slum-dwellers without assessing the scale of the problem;

(b) if so, whether the Government is now planning to ask the Registrar General to conduct a survey in all the towns with population above 20,000 to get primary data on actual numbers;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has started discussion with the Registrar General`s office in this regard;

(e) if so, whether this process is expected to take at least a year;

(f) if so, the details thereof;

(g) whether the census, 2001 tried to collate information from States but experts say due to the lacunae in the system they could not furnish the full details;

(h) if so, whether the Government is now considering to have the full report about the slum problem and total people living in the slums; and

(i) if so, the details of programme the Government is considering for their betterment and improving the position?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN EMPLOYMENT & POVERTY ALLEVIATION( KUMARI SELJA )

(a): Slum development being a State subject, State Governments survey and take stock of the slums in their respective States. However, the Town and Country Planning Organization (TCPO) conducted a one time study on slums in 1995-96 and brought out a report titled `A Compendium on Indian Slums-1996.` Each year under the erstwhile scheme of `National Slum Development Programme (NSDP)` the Planning Commission had been allocating the State-wise funds on the pro-rata basis of slum population of the States/UTs, as estimated for 2001 in the above compendium. While deciding such allocations a minimum amount is reserved for smaller States.

(b)to
(i): An attempt was made for the first time during the Census of India, 2001 by the Registrar General of India to collect detailed data about slum population of the country but only in cities/towns having 50,000 population or more based on 1991 Census. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Demand for Grants for the year 2002-2003 of the Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation desired that a similar survey in respect of other cities/towns having less than 50,000 population be carried out. The Ministry took up the matter with the Registrar General of India (RGI) for the survey and to have a report about the people living in the slums. The RGI office has submitted a project for identifying slum population in the towns having less than 50,000 but above 20,000 population, which is under examination by the Ministry.