Notes: Slums | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2024 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
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Slums and deprivation in urban areas 
 
Louis Wirth: Slums is a way of life which is predominantly unhygienic. 
 
Oscar Louis: Culture of poverty leads to people not striving to change their lives and 
continue living in poor conditions. 
 
According to a report prepared by government committee headed by Dr Pranob Sen, 
principal adviser, erstwhile Planning Commission, India’s urban slum population is 
registering an alarming rate of growth and was expected to cross 100 million by 2017 from 
the estimated 75.2 million in 2001. 
 
The committee set up by the Ministry to study the slum definition and estimate urban slum 
population in the country has also revised the census 2001 figure which predicted India’s 
slum population at 52.4 million. 
 
Definition 
The new definition of slum states that even small clusters of 20-25 households living in a 
contiguous area and exhibiting slum like characteristics like: 
“little or no access to basic civic amenities like water, sanitation and sewerage” should be 
categorised as slums.  
Earlier the cluster size for identification of slums was 60 households.   
 
GOI defines slums as any area which is: 
- Dilapidated 
- Overcrowded 
- Faulty arrangement of buildings 
- Lack of ventilation, Light, Sanitation facilities,  
- or combination of these factors which are detrimental to safety health and 
morales. 
 
Sociologically,  
• Slums are a sub-standard, haphazard, housing system 
• Slum is a relative term. 
• Slums are a way of life, with: 
o Low Sanitation 
Page 2


 
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courses.SleepyClasses.com 
C - 3 
Slums and deprivation in urban areas 
 
Louis Wirth: Slums is a way of life which is predominantly unhygienic. 
 
Oscar Louis: Culture of poverty leads to people not striving to change their lives and 
continue living in poor conditions. 
 
According to a report prepared by government committee headed by Dr Pranob Sen, 
principal adviser, erstwhile Planning Commission, India’s urban slum population is 
registering an alarming rate of growth and was expected to cross 100 million by 2017 from 
the estimated 75.2 million in 2001. 
 
The committee set up by the Ministry to study the slum definition and estimate urban slum 
population in the country has also revised the census 2001 figure which predicted India’s 
slum population at 52.4 million. 
 
Definition 
The new definition of slum states that even small clusters of 20-25 households living in a 
contiguous area and exhibiting slum like characteristics like: 
“little or no access to basic civic amenities like water, sanitation and sewerage” should be 
categorised as slums.  
Earlier the cluster size for identification of slums was 60 households.   
 
GOI defines slums as any area which is: 
- Dilapidated 
- Overcrowded 
- Faulty arrangement of buildings 
- Lack of ventilation, Light, Sanitation facilities,  
- or combination of these factors which are detrimental to safety health and 
morales. 
 
Sociologically,  
• Slums are a sub-standard, haphazard, housing system 
• Slum is a relative term. 
• Slums are a way of life, with: 
o Low Sanitation 
 
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o High Crime Rate 
o Apathy 
o Social Isolation 
o Anonymity 
 
Trilok Singh: Slums put pressure on urban infra. Slums also have an inherent sense of 
relative and absolute deprivation wrt the prosperous neighbours. 
 
Causes of Slum Formation: 
- Original Slums as a result of land squatting by migrants 
- Slums created because the erstwhile Middle Class moved away 
- Slum created because of Occupation (slums created around sources of 
employement, which is usually of low remunerations) 
- TB Ramachandran: Indian cities are unplanned 
- MSA Rao: Mohalla Culture 
- Demographic dynamism: Expansionist modernity and declining agriculture. 
 
Functions of Slums: 
- Labour Supply 
- Small industries 
- Housing for low income migrants 
- School to newcomers of  urban life 
- Place for anonymity 
 
Deprivation: 
Economic : housing , powercuts , transport , unsafe water  
Environment : pollution  
Social: exclusion , poverty , edu , health , alcoholism, riots 
 
 
Way Out 
There are four main objectives of urban community development programme applicable to the 
slums are-  
(i) Development of community feeling 
(ii) Self-help improvement of a person or a group by its own contributions and efforts and 
largely for its own benefits 
(iii) Indigenous leadership  
Page 3


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
courses.SleepyClasses.com 
C - 3 
Slums and deprivation in urban areas 
 
Louis Wirth: Slums is a way of life which is predominantly unhygienic. 
 
Oscar Louis: Culture of poverty leads to people not striving to change their lives and 
continue living in poor conditions. 
 
According to a report prepared by government committee headed by Dr Pranob Sen, 
principal adviser, erstwhile Planning Commission, India’s urban slum population is 
registering an alarming rate of growth and was expected to cross 100 million by 2017 from 
the estimated 75.2 million in 2001. 
 
The committee set up by the Ministry to study the slum definition and estimate urban slum 
population in the country has also revised the census 2001 figure which predicted India’s 
slum population at 52.4 million. 
 
Definition 
The new definition of slum states that even small clusters of 20-25 households living in a 
contiguous area and exhibiting slum like characteristics like: 
“little or no access to basic civic amenities like water, sanitation and sewerage” should be 
categorised as slums.  
Earlier the cluster size for identification of slums was 60 households.   
 
GOI defines slums as any area which is: 
- Dilapidated 
- Overcrowded 
- Faulty arrangement of buildings 
- Lack of ventilation, Light, Sanitation facilities,  
- or combination of these factors which are detrimental to safety health and 
morales. 
 
Sociologically,  
• Slums are a sub-standard, haphazard, housing system 
• Slum is a relative term. 
• Slums are a way of life, with: 
o Low Sanitation 
 
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o High Crime Rate 
o Apathy 
o Social Isolation 
o Anonymity 
 
Trilok Singh: Slums put pressure on urban infra. Slums also have an inherent sense of 
relative and absolute deprivation wrt the prosperous neighbours. 
 
Causes of Slum Formation: 
- Original Slums as a result of land squatting by migrants 
- Slums created because the erstwhile Middle Class moved away 
- Slum created because of Occupation (slums created around sources of 
employement, which is usually of low remunerations) 
- TB Ramachandran: Indian cities are unplanned 
- MSA Rao: Mohalla Culture 
- Demographic dynamism: Expansionist modernity and declining agriculture. 
 
Functions of Slums: 
- Labour Supply 
- Small industries 
- Housing for low income migrants 
- School to newcomers of  urban life 
- Place for anonymity 
 
Deprivation: 
Economic : housing , powercuts , transport , unsafe water  
Environment : pollution  
Social: exclusion , poverty , edu , health , alcoholism, riots 
 
 
Way Out 
There are four main objectives of urban community development programme applicable to the 
slums are-  
(i) Development of community feeling 
(ii) Self-help improvement of a person or a group by its own contributions and efforts and 
largely for its own benefits 
(iii) Indigenous leadership  
 
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(iv) Cooperation between govt. and the people in the use of services. 
 
The approach to the problems of the city slums through urban community development 
involves the following elements:-   
(1) Creation of a sense of social cohesion on a neighbourhood basis and strengthening of group 
interrelationship.  
(2) Encouragement and stimulation of self-help, through the initiative of the individuals in the 
community.  
(3) Stimulation by outside agencies where initiative for self-help is lacking.  
(4) Reliance upon persuasion rather than upon compulsion to produce change through the 
efforts of people.  
(5) Identification and development of local leadership.  
(6) Development of civic consciousness and acceptance of civic responsibilities.  
(7) Use of professional and technical assistance to support the efforts of the people involved. 
(8) Coordination of city services to meet neighborhood needs and problems.  
(9) Provisions of training in democratic procedures that may results in decentralization of 
some govt. functions.                                        
 
 
Broader approaches to eradicate slum: 
1) Marxist: Slum is a conscious creation of political and economic dominant class. Need to 
give entire population similar homes. 
 
2) Welfarist: Tear down slums -> Remake them (Rajiv Awas Yojana)  
Geeta Diwan Verma refutes this approach because the remade houses are sub-let by the 
people and also paves way for corruption. 
Louis Wirth says - Need is of changing Culture. 
 
3) Community Development Approach: Identify leader, change way of life & occupation. 
Kalpana Sharma found in Dharawi, Mumbai that CDA is successful in long term. 
 
4) Humanitarian Approach: Give people assurance of tenure, they’ll develop good practices. 
 
5) Modernisation Approach: Slums are temporary. With modernity slum dwellers will 
become landowners. 
 
Page 4


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
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C - 3 
Slums and deprivation in urban areas 
 
Louis Wirth: Slums is a way of life which is predominantly unhygienic. 
 
Oscar Louis: Culture of poverty leads to people not striving to change their lives and 
continue living in poor conditions. 
 
According to a report prepared by government committee headed by Dr Pranob Sen, 
principal adviser, erstwhile Planning Commission, India’s urban slum population is 
registering an alarming rate of growth and was expected to cross 100 million by 2017 from 
the estimated 75.2 million in 2001. 
 
The committee set up by the Ministry to study the slum definition and estimate urban slum 
population in the country has also revised the census 2001 figure which predicted India’s 
slum population at 52.4 million. 
 
Definition 
The new definition of slum states that even small clusters of 20-25 households living in a 
contiguous area and exhibiting slum like characteristics like: 
“little or no access to basic civic amenities like water, sanitation and sewerage” should be 
categorised as slums.  
Earlier the cluster size for identification of slums was 60 households.   
 
GOI defines slums as any area which is: 
- Dilapidated 
- Overcrowded 
- Faulty arrangement of buildings 
- Lack of ventilation, Light, Sanitation facilities,  
- or combination of these factors which are detrimental to safety health and 
morales. 
 
Sociologically,  
• Slums are a sub-standard, haphazard, housing system 
• Slum is a relative term. 
• Slums are a way of life, with: 
o Low Sanitation 
 
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courses.SleepyClasses.com 
o High Crime Rate 
o Apathy 
o Social Isolation 
o Anonymity 
 
Trilok Singh: Slums put pressure on urban infra. Slums also have an inherent sense of 
relative and absolute deprivation wrt the prosperous neighbours. 
 
Causes of Slum Formation: 
- Original Slums as a result of land squatting by migrants 
- Slums created because the erstwhile Middle Class moved away 
- Slum created because of Occupation (slums created around sources of 
employement, which is usually of low remunerations) 
- TB Ramachandran: Indian cities are unplanned 
- MSA Rao: Mohalla Culture 
- Demographic dynamism: Expansionist modernity and declining agriculture. 
 
Functions of Slums: 
- Labour Supply 
- Small industries 
- Housing for low income migrants 
- School to newcomers of  urban life 
- Place for anonymity 
 
Deprivation: 
Economic : housing , powercuts , transport , unsafe water  
Environment : pollution  
Social: exclusion , poverty , edu , health , alcoholism, riots 
 
 
Way Out 
There are four main objectives of urban community development programme applicable to the 
slums are-  
(i) Development of community feeling 
(ii) Self-help improvement of a person or a group by its own contributions and efforts and 
largely for its own benefits 
(iii) Indigenous leadership  
 
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courses.SleepyClasses.com 
(iv) Cooperation between govt. and the people in the use of services. 
 
The approach to the problems of the city slums through urban community development 
involves the following elements:-   
(1) Creation of a sense of social cohesion on a neighbourhood basis and strengthening of group 
interrelationship.  
(2) Encouragement and stimulation of self-help, through the initiative of the individuals in the 
community.  
(3) Stimulation by outside agencies where initiative for self-help is lacking.  
(4) Reliance upon persuasion rather than upon compulsion to produce change through the 
efforts of people.  
(5) Identification and development of local leadership.  
(6) Development of civic consciousness and acceptance of civic responsibilities.  
(7) Use of professional and technical assistance to support the efforts of the people involved. 
(8) Coordination of city services to meet neighborhood needs and problems.  
(9) Provisions of training in democratic procedures that may results in decentralization of 
some govt. functions.                                        
 
 
Broader approaches to eradicate slum: 
1) Marxist: Slum is a conscious creation of political and economic dominant class. Need to 
give entire population similar homes. 
 
2) Welfarist: Tear down slums -> Remake them (Rajiv Awas Yojana)  
Geeta Diwan Verma refutes this approach because the remade houses are sub-let by the 
people and also paves way for corruption. 
Louis Wirth says - Need is of changing Culture. 
 
3) Community Development Approach: Identify leader, change way of life & occupation. 
Kalpana Sharma found in Dharawi, Mumbai that CDA is successful in long term. 
 
4) Humanitarian Approach: Give people assurance of tenure, they’ll develop good practices. 
 
5) Modernisation Approach: Slums are temporary. With modernity slum dwellers will 
become landowners. 
 
 
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Supreme Court says: Approach shall be slum dweller oriented and not slum oriented. 
 
Govt. measures:  
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana 
- Smart Cities 
- Decentralisation of Urban  
- Rural reconstruction (PURA) 
- JNNRUM