Integrating Resettled Urban Poor to The Mainstream

According to the September 2024 update to World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform, the global poverty headcount ratio in 2022 at the International Poverty Line ($2.15 per person per day) is at 9 percent, with 713 million people falling below the poverty line globally. Of these, about 186 million people are in South Asia. As per NITI Ayog’s 2023 Multidimensional Poverty Index, about 14.96% of Indian population is multidimensionally poor, which is a 10 percentage point reduction in 5 years. As India is rapidly urbanizing, along with the positives we also see a rise in urban poor and slums in the cities. The resettlement of urban poor from slums to affordable housing tenements is a major task. With a projected urban population of 57.45% by 2031, Tamil Nadu is the most urbanized state in India. Its Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Board (previously The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board) is responsible for resettlement of urban poor from the slum areas of Tamil Nadu to tenements. For objectionable lands, this resettlement involves relocation into new integrated townships built on vacant Government lands. The integration of these relocated and resettled urban poor into the mainstream of their new neighborhood and reabsorbing them into productive workforce of the country is quintessential for their welfare and the country’s economy. This study aims at finding out the factors that are instrumental in driving this integration, and what policy initiatives may accordingly be adopted to further facilitate this integration. A sample of 114 urban poor resettled into a multistoried tenement from the slums of Chennai were studied for this purpose using random convenience sampling, and data was gathered using descriptive research design. Percentage analysis and mean scores were used to quantify the impact of each factor and arrive at conclusions regarding the perceived importance of each factor, to identify policy interventions that take these factors into consideration for successful integration of resettled urban poor to the mainstream of the society and economy.