{"id":367906,"date":"2026-07-21T19:40:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=367906"},"modified":"2026-07-22T08:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:23:08","slug":"the-precarity-of-living-in-urban-slums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-precarity-of-living-in-urban-slums\/","title":{"rendered":"The precarity of living in urban slums"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: <\/strong>The post \u201cThe precarity of living in urban slums\u201d<\/strong> has been created based on “The precarity of living in urban slums\u201d<\/strong> published in \u201cBusiness Line\u201d on 21 July 2026. The precarity of living in urban slums.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus: <\/strong>GS Paper 2 \u2013 Governance<\/p>\n

Context: <\/strong>Urban India has witnessed significant expansion in schools, health centres, Anganwadis, water supply, and municipal services. However, field observations show that the quality of public service delivery in urban slums remains uneven because of weak institutional design, fragmented accountability, and inadequate community participation.<\/p>\n

Reason behind quality outcomes remaining uneven in urban slums<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Weak institutional design:<\/strong> Urban governance structures remain administratively present, but they are too distant from slum communities to effectively address their daily needs.<\/li>\n
  2. Fragmented accountability:<\/strong> Although public infrastructure has improved, poor maintenance of schools, sanitation facilities, and drinking water systems reflects weak institutional accountability.<\/li>\n
  3. Irregular basic services:<\/strong> Water tankers supply water to uncovered bastis, but the absence of fixed schedules forces women to spend several hours collecting water, causing drudgery and health concerns.<\/li>\n
  4. Challenges in school education:<\/strong> Many teachers work sincerely, but excessive non-teaching responsibilities reduce the time available for classroom teaching. At the same time, weak teacher accountability in some schools adversely affects learning outcomes.<\/li>\n
  5. Limited childcare services:<\/strong> Anganwadis provide essential nutrition and childcare services, but their limited working hours prevent them from functioning as full-day childcare centres.<\/li>\n
  6. Inadequate primary healthcare:<\/strong> The absence of nearby public clinics forces slum residents to travel long distances even for minor illnesses, resulting in delayed treatment and increased health risks.<\/li>\n
  7. Health vulnerabilities of migrants:<\/strong> Migrant populations face occupational health risks, poor housing conditions, and a higher incidence of communicable diseases. The fear of losing daily wages often discourages them from seeking timely medical care.<\/li>\n
  8. Sustainability concerns in waste management:<\/strong> Waste-to-wealth initiatives have expanded through public-private partnerships, but their long-term sustainability remains uncertain because private partners face profitability concerns.<\/li>\n
  9. Digital exclusion:<\/strong> The increasing use of technology has improved service delivery, but inadequate community-level handholding often excludes vulnerable groups from accessing these services.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Measures to improve last-mile governance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Basti-centric collaborative governance:<\/strong> Urban governance should actively involve local communities in planning, implementation, and monitoring of public services.<\/li>\n
    2. Devolution of untied funds:<\/strong> Communities should receive untied financial resources so that they can address local priorities and improve the maintenance of public infrastructure.<\/li>\n
    3. Community-managed public services:<\/strong> Professional organisations and civil society groups should support communities in managing schools, health centres, sanitation facilities, and other public services.<\/li>\n
    4. Strengthening primary healthcare:<\/strong> Municipal governance should integrate a stronger public health focus by establishing accessible clinics with doctors, medicines, and diagnostic facilities in slum areas.<\/li>\n
    5. Community learning centres:<\/strong> Secondary schools should remain accessible beyond school hours so that children can use them as community learning centres despite overcrowded housing conditions.<\/li>\n
    6. Women’s empowerment through SHGs:<\/strong> Self-Help Groups should be further strengthened because they promote savings, access to credit, leadership, and social support. Simultaneously, efforts should be made to reduce patriarchal barriers that limit women’s financial and social autonomy.<\/li>\n
    7. Greater local accountability:<\/strong> Smaller governance units and elected representatives at the basti level should be created to improve accountability, trust, and responsiveness.<\/li>\n
    8. Technology with community support:<\/strong> Technology should be treated as a tool for improving service delivery and should be complemented by community-level assistance to prevent exclusion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Conclusion:<\/strong> The major challenge in urban slums is not the lack of infrastructure but the absence of accountable and participatory governance. A basti-centric governance model based on devolved resources, stronger community participation, enhanced women’s agency, and improved local accountability can ensure effective and inclusive last-mile service delivery.<\/p>\n

      Question: <\/strong>Urban social infrastructure has expanded, but quality outcomes remain uneven due to weak institutional design and the absence of meaningful community participation. Discuss in the context of urban slums. Suggest measures to improve last-mile governance.<\/p>\n

      Source: <\/strong>Business Line<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Source: The post \u201cThe precarity of living in urban slums\u201d has been created based on “The precarity of living in urban slums\u201d published in \u201cBusiness Line\u201d on 21 July 2026. The precarity of living in urban slums. UPSC Syllabus: GS Paper 2 \u2013 Governance Context: Urban India has witnessed significant expansion in schools, health centres,… Continue reading The precarity of living in urban slums<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":367940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[12044,300,212],"class_list":["post-367906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-business-line","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/The-precarity-of-living-in-urban-slums.png?fit=1280%2C850&ssl=1","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}