Managing urban poverty

It is estimated that one billion poor people live with inadequate shelter and with minimum poor basic services in the urban settlements like slums, squatters, unauthorized colonies, resettlement colonies, urban villages pavement dwellers, Harijan bustees etc. In India, over 30 percent of the total population lives below the poverty line. Such a high degree of urban poverty highlights a serious dimension of the country's urban scenario. The insufficient employment opportunities and poor income levels added to the miseries of the urban poor considerably.

It is true that the Government of India took a serious note of the growing urban poverty and spent hundred of crores by implementing various schemes and programmes with no significant result. Urban poverty continues to be an area of major concern and unbeatable challenge, mainly due to poor management of the whole poverty issue.

The editor is of the opinion that the upgradation of managerial skills of the personnels involved directly or indirectly in the poverty alleviation programmes can alleviate poverty considerably if not completely. Keeping this in mind, experts working on different aspects of urban poverty were approached to find out the ways and methods necessary to manage urban poverty effectively and in true sense. They have successfully delivered the desired results through their views and first hand experience.