Increased wealth disparity and income inequality have led the issue of homelessness into an alarming scale. While some people live in their palaces some even don’t have access to a shelter. People can't afford to pay rent for housing so that they are homeless. New census estimates that there are 13 million homeless people in India.Together with the people who are dependent on the one which is counted, it makes a huge section of India without an accommodation. While India claim of being a welfare state, these 13 million people still don't have any permanent roof over their head.
All major cities of India have huge number of homeless people. In Delhi alone 100,000 people are homeless. Though Delhi Government claims to offer 'Rain Basera' to these homeless, these could accommodate only 6,000, and that too these are open only during winter season and not the rest of the year. It’s true that homeless people need shelter during winter more desperately than other seasons especially when it is in Delhi. But during Monsoon their situation becomes more pathetic. Many homeless die every year because of chilling cold. Their unclaimed bodies are deposed by NDMC and Delhi police without any sensitivity attached. Last year the Delhi police had collected 3,040 such unclaimed bodies. Now, it is an accepted data that every year around 3000 homeless dies in Delhi.
Homeless people sleeping on footpaths during winter in Delhi.
Itis said that that the housing problem arose after Industrial Revolution. Mostly the homelessness is an urban problem, while the problem of homeless in countryside are not apparently seen. People don’t have access to home for various reasons and poverty is one of them. People do migrate from poor regions to cities and here they don’t find any shelter. Most often they leave their ‘home’ and become homeless once they enter in cities.
The Indian Government had developed certain schemes for homeless, but most of these plans exists still on papers. In the year 1988-89 the government came up with a pioneer scheme to offer night-shelters to homeless. According to the government, the scheme was supposed to progress as per demand, but the scheme did not perform accordingly.This means that the States would put forward proposals, which would then be sanctioned by Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd.(HUDCO). To start any construction states have to come forward and that is not happening. Now, it is beyond anyone’s understanding who does have the real responsibility. But, for time being, it seems homeless people has the responsibility to look after themselves and they are now happy at least on roadsides.
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