When the 75th anniversary of independence is going on, how many homeless people are there in India?
No one knows the actual number. Perhaps even the central government does not know.
There was no census in 2021. According to 2011 census data, the number of homeless people is 17 lakh 70 thousand.
However, there is much debate about the number.
Some sociologists disagree with the way the government calculates the number of homeless people.
According to them, the actual number of homeless people is several times more than the official announcement.
In the following decade, several projects were launched to build houses for the poor.
Central government has played some role in it, states have played some role. Through them, many have definitely got a house .
It is not possible to say whether the total number of homeless citizens has decreased. Because, the population has also grown enormously in the last decade.
Now the main speculation is whether India has already overtaken China in terms of population!
Some people spend their lives like vagrants on footpaths under trees in railway stations in passenger sheds in bus stops open verandas in front of closed shops.
In terms of the number of street children, India is number one in the world – India is moving forward with 1.8 million street children.
Among them there are 1 crore 10 lakh street children in various cities and urban areas.
A large proportion of people with mental disabilities are living on the streets without dignity.
The number of homeless people in the capital New Delhi and the commercial city Mumbai is enough to put India to shame.
According to experts, the number of homeless people in the heart of our capital can be used to build thirty election centers in Canada!
Some of the ‘lucky’ homeless are those who manage a house in a nearby slum. India also ranks number one in terms of slum dwellers—the figure is 7.8 million.
17 percent of the world’s slum dwellers are Indians.
The total number of slum dwellers in India is more than the total number of citizens of the whole of Britain.
Many experts believe that there is a shortfall of about two crore houses in India right now, assuming four people in a house.
Therefore, housing projects for the poor should be given special priority by any sensitive humanitarian government.
Central planning and assistance is essential for this important work. This is not a gift of kindness, it is the constitutional right of every citizen of the country.
The Center should also support the policy of mitigating the suffering of the poor.
There is no greater failure of a nation than not being able to stand by the people.
