IT’S A DISASTER TO BE Homeless. DISCUSSION BY THE JOINT INITIATIVE OF PRAYAS AND IHC ON HOMELESSNESS AND HABITAT INCLUDING BEGGARS HELD ON 9 th September

] Rashmi Singh putting her views forth, alongside is former IPS Sudheer Pratap Singh [/caption]

AN EVENT was held at Gulmohar, India Habitat Centre on 9 th September to discuss an important issue pertaining to the homeless in Delhi, their children including the beggars.

The distinguished guests of the panel were the organiser of the discussion and moderator former DIG CBI and senior officer of Delhi police , former IPS Amod Kant, the secretary of Women and Child development , Delhi, Rashmi Singh, the former Director General CRPF working among poor patients and destitute voluntarily Sudheer Pratap Singh, former IAS and CEO of DUSIB, Jal Board Delhi etc Ramesh Negi, Harshvardhan Sharma, Deputy Director , Ministry of Skill Development, Mr. Rehman, National Institute of Urban affairs, Sandeep Kapoor, Deputy Director IHC and others.

Opening the discussion and a moderator of this event former IPS and founder of PRAYAS on whose initiative in collaboration with India Habitat Centre this discussion took place , Amod Kant introduced all the dignitaries on the stage and several other sitting among the audience who had been tirelessly working among the homeless adults , children and women for decades providing them every possible help and support.

While thanking Prayas and IHC for organising this highly informative and thought provoking discussion – the Women and Child development secretary, Delhi government Rashmi Singh said that while working in the field of helping and supporting the homeless, governance should be a dynamic process and experience of those associated with this initiative compounded with dedication in the making of various welfare schemes. She catagorically said that numbers don’t matter but we have to desegregate as to who are the real homeless, women and the children in particular.

Emphasising on the commitment, determination and perseverance towards helping the homeless children who loose all opportunities of education , food , clothing and shelter etc secretary of Women and Child welfare Rashmi Singh said that child protection and child centric mechanism should be focussed on.

She added that care should be accorded to the homeless children living in shelters thus providing them various safeguards.

In adition to this various skill development programmes should be introduced and implemented in toto and skill development should be integrated with employment to give the homeless the respectable and dignified lives of existence said Rashmi Singh in her concluding address.

Highlighting the lacks and drawbacks in various shelter homes, especially for children and women she said that take the instance of Nirmal Chaaya shelter home for women, it lacks so many things. There should be every effort for children, adult homeless, transgenders and women to impart them skill training and thereafter accord them employments inorder to lead a dignified life.

She asserted on development of a mechanism that links the training of skill development with employment saying that this process is the key to lifting up the homeless from disaster to progress.

Expressing her serious concern over the drug addiction among the homeless youths and children spoiling their future Rashmi Singh said that these drug addicts should be properly rehabilitated, admitted in de – drug addiction camps and ensure that they don’t incur this bad habit again.

Highlighting on the deteriorating mental health of the homeless and children she lauded the welfare being done by IBHAS further saying that apart from the therapeutic treatment constant counselling and rehabilitation is the key to improving their health related prospects including those involved in drug addiction.

Emphasising on mapping of the target groups in order to categorise them, the secretary of Delhi women and child development Rashmi Singh said that mechanisms which can factor vulnerability should be devised and target groups mapped simultaneously.

The former IAS , chief secretary , CEO of DJB, DUSIB, Ramesh Negi said that Delhi has the maximum homeless adults , children and beggars whereas the state he belongs to i.e. Himachal Pradesh has no homeless.

Emphasising on identifying and giving the homeless adhar cards, voter Identity cards in order to accord them voting rights Ramesh Negi said that much depends on the sensitivity of the bureaucrats.

Disclosing that the Election Commission has already issued directions regarding giving voting rights to the homeless, Ramesh Negi said that when he was the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board he provided Adhar Cards to all the residents of J.J.cluster in Pushta where lived thousands of poor people and homeless.

The NGOs were given the responsibility to identify and endorse them so that they are provided with proper identification like Adhar.

While also being the Chairman of Child Rights Commission in Delhi – Ramesh Negi said he issued adhar Cards to 40 thousand homeless children in Delhi. He said that government is focussed on economic growth and infrastructural development, whereas the budget to provide shelters for homeless is reducing. He catagorically said that the NGOs should be involved to the maximum and shelters should be free from bureaucratic shackles if we really want to improve the lot of the homeless and condition of the shelters.

The former IPS and DG, National Security Guards who is tirelessly working in the service of homeless patients devoting his full time on behalf of the NGO he is running, Sudhir Pratap Singh said that we are a family of 170 people. Homeless are the real homeless. We sincerely treat them with all the facilities of medicines, food , clothing etc in a good environment so that they feel themselves as good as others. As a next step we are building houses for them with their own participation said former IPS.

Mr. Dhamija working for the homeless for the last several years said that mental illness which is commonly found in the homeless due to depression is a strong social challenge and IBHAS is doing a commendable work in settling and treatment such cases.

He said that it is very necessary to identify people ( homeless) with mental illness in Central and outer Delhi to start with and give them the basic facilities and treatment.

He emphasised that the mental illness of the homeless should be taken care of including the construction workers and their families, children.

Speaking on the increasing cases of Drug addiction Mr. Dhamija said that this bad habit due to depression among the homeless is increasing phenomenally and we need to do something concrete on this to lessen this bad habit.

In United States of America drug addicts hailing from elite and affluent families have become paupers and living in streets with lot of scarcity.

We should let it happen here and should strongly counter it said Mr.Dhamija. In 1970 there were 17000 homeless . Now we should collect the definite statistics as to how much of homeless exist in Delhi today asserted Dhamija. He catagorically blamed the government agencies for this mess as the poor and those living in J.J.clusters are being evicted mercilessly. This should stop immediately said Mr. Dhamija.

Saying that providing shelter is not the final destination he said that women shelters are not there where as men shelters are in good numbers. There is a need to improve their lot and increase the numbers of women shelters said Mr. Dhamija.

Mr. Sanjay from Chetna NGO said that the survey to have the definite data of the homeless adults and children should be done forthwith on priority basis including those involved l in begging.

He said on an average a beggar earns Rs four hundred daily therefore lots of rackets are active in Delhi involving the children which should be immediately stopped said Sanjay.

Anita Joseph activist working with the homeless for long said resilience of the people in the streets, 17 thousand living in shelters have in no way improved their lot as we should improve their living conditions in shelters, provide them skill development trainings and then employment.

We need to have more women shelters and ensure that children living there go to schools as fifty percent of them are not going to school said Sanjay of Chetna NGO.

Emphasising on the treatment of drug addicts and identifying the dead including those suffering from mal nutrition , Sanjay said that lot is required to be done including overhauling of the present shelters and other facilities being accorded to the homeless.

The additional commissioner of police D.K. Singh said that he fully agrees that those living in J.J.clusters for years together are evicted which leads them to homelessness. He said that the authorities concerned should first make the rehabilitation arrangements to settle these poor people and then go for eviction of demolition if it is utmostly essential.

Mr. Kundu, former DG of Police in Himachal Pradesh said in Delhi there is fractured governance and therefore the problem of homeless exists. In Himachal Pradesh he said that the then CM while he was DG, HP has brought a law which guaranteed that any homeless child in HP will be the child of the state till the age of 26. Under this law they were adequately nourished and provided every facility including proper education etc said Mr. Kundu.

The deputy director in Ministry of Skill development Harsh Vardhan said that skilling and livelihood should be linked. Health care, education and employment for sustenance should be the core values of welfare of the homeless.

Earlier the organisor of this event and founder of PRAYAS Amid Kanth shed light on the activities of their NGO saying that earlier there were 185 shelters in Delhi whereas today there are 235 , with Pagoda tents providing the homeless maximum support and facilities including breakfast, meals, Medicare and other facilities etc.

Lauding the efforts of Prayas Amod Kanth , former IPS said that we need to provide the homeless proper voting rights as in many cases they are bereft of identity proofs , hence voting rights.

For affluents the homeless are the outsiders and untouchables but looking after the welfare and wellbeing of them, the PRAYAS has till now identified 52000 homeless, now living in shelters.

He said the mortality rate is much among homeless , as they are devoid of good health care facilities , they are unemployed and lack social security. They are criminalised and are also the victims of social stigma especially the leprosy and tuberculosis patients. He said that PRAYAS is tirelessly working for the welfare and wellbeing of the homeless to ensure that one day they lead a dignified life which actually is their constitutional right said Amod Kanth, former IPS.

Senior Journalist associated with Prayas Amitabh Srivastava said that there is a need for preparing a perfect statistics of the homeless, the homeless children and women as we lack adequate data in this regard at the governmental level. The census which already happened in 22 is now to take place in 2027 and therefore statistics of the homeless in inevitable as in terms of healthcare, mal- nourishment,survival the statistics differ said Amitabh Srivastava.