SEC - S17W2 | "Homeless people in my country"

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this season of engagement challange. Today I am writing a very intersting topic in this community which is about Homeless people in my country.

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Are there homeless people in your country? What do you think is the cause that leads these people to be on the street, homeless, and without family?

As for the recent statistics, India has 1.7 million homeless people. Some analysts argue that this number is far less than the actual figure of homeless people in India. Let it be 1.7 million; that is still a huge number of people. We need not count the numbers, but we should feel the agony that these people are going through in harsh climatic conditions. As an Indian, when I look into this complex issue, I find that it is an interplay of many, social, economic, and systemic challenges. Let me discuss some other major factors responsible for the state of homelessness for a major chunk of people in India:

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• Poverty: Poverty is the root cause of homelessness in India. According to recent statistics, about 16.5% of the Indian population falls below the poverty line, and among those, approximately 5% fall into the severe category. For economically disadvantaged people, priorities shift from housing facilities to meeting the basic necessities of life like food and healthcare. For those grappling with poverty, even education is not a priority, and they are deprived of employment opportunities, which creates a vicious cycle of economic disadvantage.

• Unemployment: Although the economy of our country is growing at a good speed, we have not been able to generate employment opportunities to a significant extent, and therefore unemployment and underemployment are factors that lead to poverty and homelessness.

• Inflation: Due to urbanization, the prices of housing and accommodation have skyrocketed, making it impossible for low-income groups to afford shelter. The growing prices of land even in rural areas and construction material to build houses have kept basic housing facilities out of reach for economically disadvantaged sections of our society.

• Domestic conflicts: Family conflicts and domestic violence are responsible for homelessness among women and children who are not truly homeless otherwise. Once isolated from the family, they are deprived of economic support and thus have to live on the streets and in slums.

• Lack of support: Lack of support from social welfare departments and other government agencies also plays a role in homelessness. Some social and cultural practices have led to the marginalization of some sections of society, therefore contributing to homelessness.

Has the government tried to address or create decent shelters to help these people?

The issue of homelessness has been prevalent in our country for years, and successive governments have attempted to provide decent residential facilities for the homeless population, but they have not succeeded completely. The current government launched a program called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in 2015 with the aim of providing homes to all homeless people by 2022. However, the deadline was later extended to December 2024. According to current statistics on the official website, the government claims to have sanctioned more than one crore houses, of which 83 lakh houses are claimed to have been completed. So, we can say that less than sixty percent of the sanctioned houses have been completed, and not all sanctioned houses have been started. While the government is making appreciable efforts, the figures are still dismal.

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This scheme aims to provide housing facilities for lower and middle-income groups, economically weaker sections, and vulnerable sections of society. Additionally, the scheme ensures providing loans at very low-interest rates to low and middle-income groups compared to commercial banks.

The government of India has also directed all commercial public banks to provide housing loans at subsidized rates to homeless people and for the renovation of houses. Moreover, employees are also entitled to tax rebates on interest amounts given to banks for housing loans. So, multiple efforts are being taken by the government to rehabilitate homeless Indian people.

What could you propose so that these people do not continue in this dark world?

In addition to addressing homelessness directly, it's crucial to tackle the root causes that push people into homelessness. Here are some proposals:

• Income generation avenues: Poverty and unemployment are two leading factors that push people into homelessness. Creating income generation avenues should be a top priority, involving measures like generating employment opportunities in both private and public sectors and creating conducive working environments in non-service sectors like industries and factories.

• Strengthening of existing Awas Yojana: The government must strengthen existing policies for home provision by providing adequate funding and monitoring of programs. Setting deadlines for contractors to finish pending houses is essential.

• Social welfare through private-public partnership: Private and public corporate houses should come together to support low and middle-income groups in providing basic needs like food, shelter, health, and education.

• Corporate social responsibility: The government should formalize and ensure proper execution of corporate social responsibilities, including economic and philanthropic components that could help economically disadvantaged sections to live with dignity.

• Urban planning: Proper urban planning can help develop affordable housing opportunities for low and middle-income group people.

• Government subsidies: Providing financial support to economically disadvantaged people through policies like subsidized and zero-interest loans for building homes and setting up micro and small-scale industries.

• Free education: Government commitment to providing free basic education for all and skill development programs can break the cycle of poverty, unemployment, and low educational status, empowering individuals to sustain themselves and their families.