Slum redevelopment a CSR activity

Lubna Kably

Mumbai: TNN





Road Safety Awareness, Consumer Protection Services Also Eligible: Govt

Slum-redevelopment, road safety awareness and consumer protection services will be treated as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, according to clarifications issued by the ministry of corporate affairs in response to queries from stakeholders.BJP's election manifesto had promised to usher in a low-cost housing policy that would ensure every family in India a home by 2022. The ministry , in a circular, has clarified that slum-redevelopment or housing for economically weaker sections could be covered under the eligible CSR category of `measures taken for reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups'.
Activities relating to road safety promotion, which is a dire need in India, are also likely to get a major fillip as the ministry has clarified these would also be treated as eligible CSR activities. Promoting road safety awareness through print, audio and visual media would qualify as a CSR activity under the broad head of `promoting education'; providing trainers to drivers would fall under `promoting vocational skills'; and social projects like giving medical and legal aid, treatment to road accident victims would fall under the eligible category of `promoting health care', explains the circular.
Any project meant for development of rural India will be treated as a `rural development' project and will be an eligible CSR activity . Likewise, supplementing government schemes like mid-day meals would also qualify as CSR for alleviation of poverty and malnutrition. Renewable energy projects would be eligible for promoting `environmental sustainability'.
Responding to a query from the Consumer Education and Research Centre, the ministry has clarified that consumer education and awareness related activities would also be eligible as CSR towards `promoting education'. Likewise, donations to IIM (A) for renovation of classrooms would be an eligible CSR activity to promote education. While the ministry has provided various illustrative clarifications, it has also stressed that the 10 categories of eligible activities outlined in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2014 `must be interpreted liberally'. Activities outlined in this schedule are wide ranging and include those relating to promoting education, promoting preventive healthcare, rural development and even protection of national heritage, art and culture.
Salaries paid by companies to regular CSR staff and volunteers can also be factored into the project cost as part of the CSR expenditure. However, one-off events undertaken by India Inc, such as sponsoring marathons, awards, sponsorship of TV programmes, will not qualify as eligible CSR activities. Expenses incurred by India Inc for fulfilment of any regulations such as Labour Laws and Land Acquisition Act also would not count as CSR expenditure, adds the circular.
Even sustainable urban development and urban public transport system are not eligible CSR activities.
Experts point out that India Inc should proceed with caution. “The final rules to the Companies Act are clear that CSR activities do not include normal business activities. Thus, even if slum redevelopment qualifies as a CSR activity , a grey area would crop up, if a slum area is taken up for construction of villas and these slum dwellers are rehabilitated by the builder.“
The CSR provisions contained in The Companies Act, 2014, requiring large companies meeting certain financial criteria to either comply with the CSR spend or report non-compliance kicked in from April 1. These companies are required to spend 2% of their average net profit of the last three years on CSR activities.

Source::::: The Times of India, 26.06.2014, p.17,   http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Slum-redevelopment-a-CSR-activity-26062014015009

Dharavi class IX girls raise $4,795 to start library

Mumbai: Hidden in a tiny bylane of Dharavi is a bright blue room, where over 20 children are reading everything from Disney comics to science fiction. The small room, with wooden shelves on both walls, is the Friends library.

The best part? It’s run by eight class IX students. The girls, from the Guru Nanak High School and Kamarajar Memorial High School in Dharavi, started the library in February.
The library has now over 350 books, which children can borrow at a refundable deposit of Rs20. “Children in the area never got a chance to read as there was no library in the area,” said Menaga Nadar, one of the founders.

The idea of a library struck them at the Avasara Leadership Fellows programme, an intensive after-school enrichment programme for adolescent girls from urban slums. It was here that they first read books beyond their texts.

However, turning the idea into a reality wasn’t an easy task. “We started off with a plan. Initially, we wanted to run it for around six months. We realised we would need Rs60,000,” said Sweety Pavithra, one of the eight founders.

Hope came from the Avarasa programme. “We approached a teacher from the US, who was at the programme, to host a Kickstarter page for us.”
Kickstarter is an online funding platform for creative projects, which allows people to present an idea to raise funds. Also, the project requires an American citizen to be part of the idea.

“The girls soon started creating content for raising funds and also made a video explaining their concept. In three days, the project received $4,795, almost five times the requirement. The next step was to find the perfect space.

“Joba’s (one of the girls from the group) parents offered us the first floor of their house for a rent of Rs4,000,” said Mansi Singh. The girls took over the place with a bucket of paint and brushes to add colour to their dream.

“It’s so great to see these girls work on their own. From planning, execution and problem solving, they have managed all by themselves,” said Roopa Purushothaman, founder of Avasara Leadership Institute.

With more funds at their disposal, the girls are now planning to train a younger batch to run the library as they move to class X.

Source::: DNA, 12-03-2014.

NUHM launched in state, will help 2cr slum dwellers

Malathy Iyer TNN 

Mumbai: The state government announced the launch of the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) on Sunday to focus on the healthcare needs of 2 crore slum dwellers living in 95 districts. The NUHM launch follows the flagging off of the dial 108 for a free ambulance scheme on March 1. 
    The state government announced on Sunday that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 162 crore for Maharashtra’s NUHM for the financial year ending March 2014. Of this, Rs 35 crore has been reserved for Mumbai alone. 
    “We got the approval from the union government on Saturday,’’ said state health minister Suresh Shetty, adding that recruitment of additional medical staff and ASHAs (accredited social health activists) will begin on Monday itself. 
    Public health specialist Dr Anant Phadke said the setting up of the NUHM was a welcome move. “The focus seems to be on the government spending on healthcare and not on roping in the private sector,’’ he said. Expert Ravi Duggal however, said, the timing of the launch suggested it was a poll-related sop. “It is no doubt a start, but the government shouldn’t forget about the mission a few months down the line,’’ he said. 
    NUHM is the urban equivalent of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which was launched in 2005. “Progress has been made under the NRHM in rural areas for strengthening the public healthcare system, but the urban poor still lack access to essential primary healthcare services. They often have to depend on the unorganized and, at times, unqualified private providers, leading to heavy out-of-pocket expenses. Realizing this gap in the public health system, the government of India launched the NUHM to supplement the NRHM,’’ said the union government’s announcement of the Maharashtra NUHM. 
    The state NUHM will work in 6,000-odd slums identified across 95 disctrict. Around 6,000 ASHAs will be needed to cover the 2 crore slum-dwellers identified in the state, said health officials. 
    State health minister Shetty said the civic corporation in Mumbai will now work more closely with the state public health department. “In Mumbai, we want to focus on further bringing down infant mortality and maternal mortality rates. As there is a provision under the NUHM to give free medicines to the poor, patients in the BMC- and state-run hospitals will benefit,’’ he added.


SOURCE :::: The Times of India, p.10,          http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/03&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01001&ViewMode=HTML

Slum households in urban areas decreasing: Study

Maharashtra Tops The List With 38% Of Country’s Share

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

New Delhi: The latest National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) report shows that the number of slum households in urban areas is coming down. The survey, conducted between July and December 2012, projected total slum dwellings at 88 lakh, compared to 1.3 crore households in 2011. 
    The survey findings showed that across the country, 70.8% of households cited better accommodation as the main reason for which they moved out of slum/squatter settlement whereas 11.7% identified proximity to the place of work as the main reason. 
    The report showed that while Maharashtra had the maximum share — 38% of the country’s slums households, Andhra Pradesh had 18%. 
    The sample survey has estimated that there are about 33,510 slums located in urban areas. While 41% of these slum colonies are notified by the local authorities, majority are yet to be notified. 
    The NSSO data projects that most of the slum household have come up in the notified colonies. The NSSO covered 881 slums in a total of 3,832 urban blocks across all states and Union territories and found that at an all-India level, the average slum size was estimated at 263 households. 
    A slum has been defined as “any compact settlement with a collection of poorly built tenements, mostly of temporary nature, crowded together, usually with inadequate sanitary and drinking water facilities in unhygienic conditions, provided at least 20 households lived there.” 
    While the survey findings point to how government agencies have a huge task ahead to make these residential blocks livable, it has indicated how the ground situation has improved to some extent with the improvement in power supply, drainage, garbage disposal and other facilities. 
    The report says that 93.5% of slums have power supply and 71% have access to drinking water. Similarly there has been improvement in drainage, sewerage, garbage disposal, primary education and medical facilities ranging between 15% and 45%, compared to what the situation was like five years ago. 
    Pointing to how big the sanitation issue is in the case of rural areas, the NSSO data projects that as many as about 60% rural households do not have access to toilet facilities. 
    However, the record is better when it comes to urban India where only less than 9% of the population still lack the facility.

Source::: The Times of India, 26-12-2013,p.12,  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/12/26&PageLabel=12&EntityId=Ar01200&ViewMode=HTML

Marginal rise in child sex ratio in slums

Rema Nagarajan TIG 

    India’s slums have a far better child sex ratio of 922 girls per 1,000 boys than the non-slum urban population, for which the figure is 902. Also, this figure has shown a marginal improvement in the last decade for the slum population from 921 in 2001, but has worsened slightly for the non-slum urban population from 903. 
    Even in terms of the overall sex ratio, India’s slum population has seen a dramatic improvement compared to the rest of the urban population. The slum population sex ratio jumped from 887 women for every 1,000 men in 2001 to 928 in 2011 — a significant improvement compared to the jump in sex ratio for the rest of the urban population sex ratio from 904 in 2001 to 929 in 2011. 
    The available data does not make it clear whether this sudden increase in the sex ratio of the slum population is because of a change in the ground situation or because several new areas have been included under the category of “identified slums”. These are areas with a population of at least 300 people not officially notified or recognised as slums by the state or local governments. In fact, this “identified slum” population is higher than the population of either “recognised slums” or “notified slums” in the country. 
    It is well known that it is the better off communities and populations with access to sex determination technologies and reproductive services who have the worst sex ratios in India. This pattern holds up even within the slum population, with the scheduled tribes having the best sex ratio of 985, followed by the scheduled castes with a sex ratio of 959, way better than the rest of the population with a sex ratio of 918. This reflects the all-India pattern of STs having the best sex ratio followed by the SCs.


Source:::: The Times of India, 03-10-2013, p.13,  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

33% of slum population lives without basic facilities

No. Of Towns With Shanties Went Up From 1,743 In 2001 To 2,613 In 2011

Rema Nagarajan TIG 

    Over a third of the slum population in India lives without any basic facility being provided by the state as the slums are not recognized. In case of states like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar, the entire slum population of several lakhs remains unrecognized by the state governments. 
    For the first time, the census data on slums identified slum dwellers as the people living in compact areas with a population of at least 300, in unhygienic environment with inadequate infrastructure and lacking proper sanitary and drinking water facilities. Earlier, only people in areas notified or recognized as slums by state or local authorities were counted. 
    With the new method, several states — Haryana, Delhi, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand — have identified more slum dwellers in such areas than in the notified or recognized slums. 
    In fact, the number of towns having slums has gone up from 1,743 in 2001 to 2,613 in 2011, out of a total of 4,041 towns in India. 
    The proportion of slum population to urban population has fallen slightly with the slum population growing at a slower pace than urban areas as a whole. There alsoisn’t any difference in the household size of urban areas and slums any more — about 4.7 — with slums showing a higher reduction in family size. 
    The literacy rate in slums too has gone up to 78% compared to the overall urban literacy of over 84%. The jump in female literacy in slums (from 63% to 72%) is higher than that in male literacy from 80% to 84%. However, the literacy rate is lower than 70% in slums in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. 
    About one in five persons in a slum is from the scheduled caste, a share that has increased in the last one decade. However, the proportion of SCs in the overall urban population is just 12.6% or about one in eight persons. The share of scheduled tribes in urban population has increased to about 3% just as it has in slums, where it is a little higher than 3%. 
    However, interestingly, the work participation rate in slums is just slightly higher (36%) compared to the urban rate of 35%. However, the work participation of women in slums is almost 2% higher than in the urban population. 
    But more than two out of five women workers living in slums are marginal workers, who do not have employment throughout the year. 
    The southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa have among the highest work participation rates, about 40%, while Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are among the worst. 
    Among the states, Maharashtra has the highest slum population of 1.18 crore followed by Andhra Pradesh (one crore plus), West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (58 lakh). 
    However, as a proportion, the slum population in Maharashtra has shown the biggest reduction from 23% to 18%. A few states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat, too, have shown a marginal reduction in the proportion of slum population, though in most states the proportion has increased.

Source:::: The Times of India, 03-10-2013, p.13,  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW