Uttarakhand, J&K, Rajasthan see improvement in slums

Assam, Tripura and Gujarat show a positive trend in slum vulnerability, indicating a worsening in the condition of the slums in these states

Slum dwellers in Chandigarh, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh were worse off than those in Sikkim, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Goa in 2011, estimates a government-appointed panel, headed by economist Amitabh Kundu.

In 2001, slum dwellers in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had fared poorly on the index, while those in Gujarat, Kerala and Tripura were better off. For Gujarat and Tripura, though, the situation deteriorated 10 years.

Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan showed a negative trend in slum vulnerability from 2001 to 2011. This indicates an improvement in the condition of the slums in these states. On the other hand, Assam, Tripura and Gujarat showed a positive trend in slum vulnerability, indicating a worsening in the condition of the slums in these states.

At the city level, Jaipur, Bhopal, Lucknow and Faridabad had the highest slum vulnerability level in 2001; the cities of Kalyan-Dombivli, Vadodara and Hyderabad exhibited the least vulnerability.

In 2011, though, according to the Slum Status Index, Faridabad, Raipur and Ranchi had the highest vulnerability, while Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir were estimated to have the lowest vulnerability.

The report, based on Census and NSS data, estimates slum vulnerability on six dimensions - magnitude of slum population/household, availability of basic household amenities in slum households, housing condition of slum households, possession of household assets in slum households, social dimensions and access to banking facilities among slum households.