Authors

• Namita Mathur, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, Delhi

This paper is based on a primary survey of migrants carried out in two slums of Delhi to facilitate an understanding of some of the key concerns of migrant slum dwellers. Most of the migrant households in the slums were living in miserable conditions with limited access to basic amenities like toilet ownership, health care, subsidised ration, LPG connection and use of banking services. The poor in the slums were identified based on the concept of multi-dimensional poverty, using the Alkire Foster methodology for deprivation indicators. The study helped identify areas where income gains translated into better facilities and also those areas where economic gains did not lead to improvement in non-monetary indicators. Toilet ownership and access to drinking water for instance, were not affected by a rise in income levels. When individual efforts to improve living conditions prove to be ineffective, government intervention is required.