Urban Poor | Citizen Matters

Are Indian cities a new Lilliput in the making?

August 6, 2019 Revathi Siva Kumar

India has the largest number of ‘stunted’ children in the world according to the global Global Nutrition Report. And contrary to what many think, they are not only to be found in rural or remote areas. One in four children under five years have stunted growth in our cities, with even the capital Delhi showing alarming rates.

‘Peeda’: What urban villagers in Noida claim to have got in return for the lands they gave up

August 3, 2019 Nilotpal Kumar

A team of researchers met villagers and activists engaged in anindefinite dharna at the marble market site in Noida’s Sector 48. Here are the stories that the protesters shared as they explained their anger and grief.

All for Rs 10K or less a month: The lives of Noida’s migrant rickshaw pullers

June 16, 2019 Vishwas

Around 20,000 tricycle rickshaw pullers live in Noida, mostly migrants from other states, who came here in pursuit of the ‘urban dream.’ But they find themselves constantly struggling to meet all ends, as they lead sub-par lives, far from their families and roots.

Fani aftermath: Civil society groups play key role in cyclone-ravaged Bhubaneswar

May 16, 2019 Basudev Mahapatra

While government disaster response teams focus on roads, electricity and other infrastructure, local community groups and volunteers try to mobilise residents to participate in the relief work being done in their localities, and especially the low income settlements.

Living in hell: Sewage, garbage and contaminated water leave 2800 families struggling in Delhi transit camp

May 13, 2019 Akshita Nagpal

Evicted Kathputli Colony residents struggle with water shortage and lack sanitation in their temporary homes in Anand Parbat. As they wait for the new homes, the sordid conditions in the transit space create grave implications for the environment.

Delhi loves its Mohalla Clinics, but can they really improve public healthcare?

March 25, 2019 Vishwas

The Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, which aimed to take free primary health care to every neighbourhood, is a great hit among the people. But with just 189 operationalised in close to four years, can they prove to be a gamechanger where affordable public healthcare is concerned?

Can water ATMs ease the daily struggle of the poor in Bhubaneswar?

March 23, 2019 Basudev Mahapatra

Water ATMs now provide around 2.9 lakh litres of safe, affordable water every month to residents of 40 slums in Bhubaneswar. But in a city which has 400 plus slums and where the total demand for water is estimated to hit 143 million litres a day in 2019, can this really be a significant game-changer?

How children are fighting eve-teasing and drug abuse in Mumbai’s Mankhurd

March 20, 2019 Nikhil Latagajanan

In a rehabilitation and resettlement colony in Mumbai’s M-east ward, one of the most underdeveloped suburbs of the city, children have come together to form the Bal Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan and take charge of tackling social and civic issues in the community.

40; Single; Female; Muslim: How these and other identities define migrant lives in Mumbai

March 8, 2019 Kaustubh Jagtap

Mumbai, they say, is a melting pot, a city of equal opportunities. But do identities of caste, gender, religion really get fused in the underbelly of the city? Or do they impact the lives of those who live there? A recent research project in a Goregaon slum throws some light on this.

Death in a Delhi sewer…and lives of those left behind

February 22, 2019 Bhasha Singh / PARI

After Anil’s death while cleaning a sewer in Delhi, Rani has been struggling to make ends meet, while battling grief and barbs about not being his legally married wife. “On how many fronts can I fight?” she asks, and hopes the state will now bring in machines for cleaning drains.

For almost 15 million migrant children, education remains a luxury

January 17, 2019 Navya P K

In a land of 453 million internal migrants, a majority among whom seek work in cities, children’s education is the greatest casualty. Government schemes notwithstanding, most migrant children never end up joining school in host cities or eventually drop out.

Living in rooms by looms: Fate of migrant workers in Surat

December 21, 2018 Reetika Revathy Subramanian / PARI

Around 8 lakh workers from Odisha, after strenuous shifts in Surat’s powerlooms, stay in rotation in crowded rooms, amid power cuts, scarce water, filth and noise. Illnesses are common, as are stress and alcoholism.