wl-6871-Ensuring Social Sector Convergence for Inclusive Urbanisation: Evidence from Telangana

This paper aims to contribute to the effective implementation of UN-SDGs and India's urban missions on the ground to usher in inclusive, equitable, and sustainable urban development. Our empirical study, covering slums in four different-sized cities of Telangana State, Bhongir, Siddipet, Warangal, and Hyderabad, emphasizes the need to integrate bottom-up approaches in schemes that are currently top-down. It finds that non-economic factors are critically important for urban poverty reduction. Location in a central area with a low cost of commuting to work, living in a notified slum, access to basic civic services, having a patta, land tenure security, housing affordability, social security, etc., significantly affect the income of slum dwellers directly or indirectly. Hence, urban poverty must be thought of differently from rural poverty. Government programmes for slum development, rehabilitation and poverty reduction in cities need to be based on the paradigm "think globally, act locally" – combining inclusive long-term policies at national, state and city levels and targeting both economic and non-economic needs of the urban poor on the ground. The ‘right to the city’ of the poor must be addressed at higher levels. Issues of education, skill, access to lifeline services, and capacity to deliver services to the poor may be tackled with the empowerment of the local and community bodies. City-specific urban poverty reduction plans must be prepared as part of city development plans and integrated with the national and state agenda for inclusionary urbanisation in tune with SDGs. These should cover all notified, non-notified, and other under-serviced settlements.