Lok Sabha Question No. 3131 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-07
Subject: Data on Urban Homelessness
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3131

TO BE ANSWERED ON AUGUST 07, 2025

## DATA ON URBAN HOMELESSNESS

NO. 3131. SHRI SRIBHARAT MATHUKUMILLI:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether the Government maintains updated and disaggregated data on the number of homeless individuals in urban areas across the country including those  who  have  migrated  from  rural  regions  in  search  of  employment  or livelihoods and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether there are any centrally-sponsored schemes or dedicated programmes  aimed  at  addressing  homelessness  including  access  to shelter, sanitation and basic services and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)    whether  there  are  any  existing  functional  and  adequately  funded  shelter homes or night shelters in major urban areas and if so, the number of such
- shelters established under central or State initiatives;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed the adequacy of these shelters in relation  to  the  estimated  homeless  population  and  if  any  evaluation  or audit of these facilities has been conducted and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)   whether the Government proposes to implement a national-level programme to construct and maintain shelter infrastructure in the 50 most populated urban districts  across  the  country,  especially  in  light  of  rising internal migration and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

- (a):  As per 12 th  Schedule of the Constitution of India, Urban Poverty Alleviation is a subject of Urban Local Bodies. However, as per Census 2011, the total urban houseless population in the country was 9,38,348. The details are at Annexure.

- (b)&(c):    Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs,  (MoHUA)  administered  SUH component of DAY-NULM, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, through respective  States / UTs . It  focussed  on  providing  permanent  shelters equipped with basic facilities to  the  urban  homeless . As  per  SUH guidelines,  convergence  of  various  entitlements  of  social  security,  food, education  and  health  care  systems  are  provided  at  the  shelters  for  the urban homeless. The implementation period of DAY-NULM  was  till 30.09.2024. As reported by States / UTs a total of 1,995 shelters have been made functional across the country under DAY-NULM.
- (d) & (e): It is the responsibility of concerned States / UTs/ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to map the concentration areas of urban homeless . The guidelines of  SUH provided for conducting a systematic third-party survey by urban local  bodies so as to assess accurately the need for shelters at suitable locations .

Guidelines of SUH provided that for every one lakh urban population, under the  scheme,  provision  should  be  made  for  permanent  shelters  for  a minimum of one hundred persons . Depending upon local conditions, each shelter  should  preferably  cater  to  50  or  more  persons . In  exceptional situations, shelters with lesser capacity could also be approved .

The operational guidelines of SUH provisioned for States/UTs to undertake independent  quality  evaluation  for  quality  checks  on  projects  under implementation. It also provisioned quality audit of operational shelters on a quarterly basis, audits by third party external reviewers and organizing social  audit  of  each  shelter  at  least  once  a  year.  The  Mission  ended  on 30.09.2024.

*****

## (REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3131

## Houseless Urban Population in India as per Census 2011

| S. No.   | State/UT            | Urban Houseless Population   |
|----------|---------------------|------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh*     | 75,857                       |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 313                          |
| 3        | Assam               | 2,527                        |
| 4        | Bihar               | 12,591                       |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh        | 6,533                        |
| 6        | Goa                 | 1,693                        |
| 7        | Gujarat             | 84,822                       |
| 8        | Haryana             | 23,789                       |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh    | 872                          |
| 10       | Jammu &Kashmir      | 10,848                       |
| 11       | Jharkhand           | 6,967                        |
| 12       | Karnataka           | 35,473                       |
| 13       | Kerala              | 7,761                        |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh      | 66,055                       |
| 15       | Maharashtra         | 1,11,373                     |
| 16       | Manipur             | 1,331                        |
| 17       | Meghalaya           | 177                          |
| 18       | Mizoram             | 104                          |
| 19       | Nagaland            | 344                          |
| 20       | Odisha              | 14,053                       |
| 21       | Punjab              | 18,374                       |
| 22       | Rajasthan           | 73,236                       |
| 23       | Sikkim              | 32                           |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu          | 37,117                       |
| 25       | Tripura             | 1,352                        |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh       | 1,80,929                     |
| 27       | Uttarakhand         | 5,556                        |
| 28       | West Bengal         | 1,04,967                     |
| 29       | A &NIslands         | 65                           |
| 30       | Chandigarh          | 4,133                        |
| 31       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 281                          |
| 32       | Daman &Diu          | 591                          |
| 33       | Delhi               | 46,724                       |
| 34       | Lakshadweep         | 0                            |
| 35       | Puducherry          | 1,508                        |
|          | Total               | 9,38,348                     |

Source: Primary Census Abstract: Houseless Population, office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.

Note:  *: Andhra Pradesh means the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh i.e., the area now comprising the present-day State of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana .