Centre to launch pilot project on urban poverty alleviation in 25 cities on October 1

Manohar Lal Khattar, Minister of Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. File Photo
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Central Government would soon launch a programme dedicated to urban poverty alleviation, the pilot for which would be set in motion in 25 cities across the country on October 1. These 25 cities include industrial hubs, migrant centres, aspirational districts and port cities.

The pilot, which will span three months, with a preparatory phase of one month to ensure effective implementation, would utilise a Test-Learn-Scale approach, the Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday (September 24, 2024).

The programme is designed to uplift vulnerable groups within the informal sector, including construction workers, gig workers, waste workers, care workers, domestic workers, and transportation workers, who often face occupational, social, and residential vulnerabilities.

“These workers, engaged in precarious jobs with low wages, hazardous conditions, and limited access to social protection, are the primary beneficiaries of this mission. The pilot aims to break the cycle of poverty by providing financial assistance, social protection, and access to credit for micro-enterprises, and fostering innovation and collaboration,” the statement said.

Through strategic interventions and a collaborative approach, the proposed programme aims to reshape the livelihood landscape in urban India, ensuring that the benefits of urbanisation are equitably distributed to uplift the most vulnerable sections of society, it added.

Suggestions on designing the contours of the programme were given by 28 states and Union Territories at a workshop held on September 23.

The workshop was attended by State Mission Directors from across the country, Municipal Commissioners and city representatives of the 25 select cities, as well as senior officials from the Union Urban Development Ministry.

“Urbanisation provides various opportunities and there is a need to harness these opportunities through innovative thinking so that the urban poor, particularly the vulnerable groups, including youths, can get access to better livelihoods opportunities,” said Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, who released the mission document for the pilot implementation at the workshop.