Urban poor & slum dwellers

Story hook

It is 2 May 2020. Pankaj Yadav, a 34-year-old construction worker from Hardoi (UP), walks out of his rented Dharavi tenement in Mumbai with his wife and two children. The COVID-19 lockdown has stopped construction. His Rs 9,500 rent is unpaid. His employer's contact phone is switched off. The Bandra Terminus station rumours of "Shramik Special" trains have evaporated. They will walk 1,420 km home — barefoot. On day 14, Pankaj will collapse 67 km from his village. He doesn't survive.

Pankaj is one of an estimated 10-30 crore internal migrants (MoSPI 2017) who keep India's cities running but lack the safety net those cities offer their own poor. As of 2024, India has ~7 crore people living in slums (Census 2011 = 6.5 crore + 30% growth); ~36% of urban population in slums or unauthorised settlements; ~17% urban households without piped water; ~18% without sewerage.

The Government's response runs along two main programmatic arteries: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana — Urban (PMAY-U) 2015 — "Housing for All by 2022" — and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) 2013 — skilling + self-employment + street vendor support. Around them sit AMRUT 2.0 (water + sewerage), Smart Cities Mission, Swachh Bharat-U, PM-SVANidhi (street vendor microcredit), PM eBus Sewa, and the Code on Wages 2019.

This unit is the urban-side mirror to MGNREGA + PMAY-G + NRLM. The challenge: the Indian state was built for rural welfare; urban policy is a much younger field.

Why this matters for UPSC

A high-yield GS-II + GS-III topic. Prelims: PMAY-U components (BLC, AHP, ISSR, CLSS), DAY-NULM verticals, AMRUT 2.0 targets, PM-SVANidhi loan slabs (asked 2019, 2021, 2023). Mains: appeared in 2018 ("urbanisation challenges"), 2022 ("inclusive urban planning"), 2024 ("informal sector + welfare"). Interview: COVID migrant crisis a recurring probe.