Slums

Slums are densely populated, informal urban settlements characterized by inadequate housing, precarious land tenure, severe overcrowding, and a lack of essential civic services such as clean water and sanitation.

Under Social Issues

• They represent the structural mismatch between rapid rural-to-urban migration and the capacity of municipal governance to provide affordable housing and formal infrastructure.
• They are central to studying urban poverty, public health vulnerabilities, and social exclusion under urbanisation and social justice modules.
• They demonstrate the dynamics of the informal economy, housing a significant workforce operating outside formal legal and property frameworks.

UPSC frames questions on slums around the policy debate between forced eviction, in-situ rehabilitation, and affordable housing initiatives under urban governance frameworks. Questions require candidates to analyze the trade-offs between property rights, municipal financial capacity, and inclusive urban planning. Candidates must evaluate structural interventions that balance formal land integration with the protection of informal livelihoods.

• Role of women and women’s organizations, population issues, poverty GS1