• The labor sector of the Indian economy consists of

over 487 million workers, the second largest after china. Of these over 94% work in unincorporated , unorganized enterprises ranging from pushcart vendors to daily wage workers (planning commission of

India (2007)) .

• The unorganized sector has low productivity and offers low wages . Even though it accounted for over 94% of the working force , it creates just 57 % of India’s national domestic product (9 fold less per worker than the organized sector).

• India’s national sample survey office in its 67th report found that unorganized manufacturing , trading , retail and services employed about 10 % each of all workers nationwide. It also reported 58 million unincorporated non agricultural enterprises in 2010.

India, the most populous democracy in the world is the 10th largest economy by nominal GDP (International monitory fund). the country is a growing market of the import-export, industry, agriculture and the associated services. Bringing this to life is the dense network of the informal (labor) sector.

INFORMAL SECTOR – THE BACKBONE OF A DEVELOPING ECONOMY

13 million new worker every

year

5 million ( works in informal sector)

8 million ( being unemployed)

MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

5 million youth every year out of the 13 million new workers join the ranks of poorly paid partial employment, casual labor pool for temporary infrastructure and real estate construction jobs , or in many cases , being unemployed. (tripti lahiri , the wall street journal)

The labour (informal) sector forms a very essential yet ignored part of the mixed Indian economy

Through the years India has evolved as a nation that progresses financially, culturally and socially primarily due to the contribution of its overpowering informal sector. The majority of this sector is the labor force that works in the various services that make the country. A section of these today, are subjected to deplorable living conditions so much so that they are constantly striving to strike a balance between their basic requirements of shelter, amenities (food, water, sanitation) and employment to earn their living. Their whereabouts, obtainments of basic facilities as well as employment patterns are erratic and unreliable. It is a pity, that even though they form a major contribution to the service sector and are instrumental in the functioning of our society and various levels, they are not well equipped enough to avail for rights that will actually appreciate and uplift their dignity of labor. Our approach therefore, is to identify this otherwise overlooked, vulnerable section of society and design policies and programs pertaining specifically to their upliftment. By penning down formal policies, as to how this vulnerable section needs to be dealt with only practically, dilutes the sensitivity of this entire issue. Therefore, we choose to set forth guidelines and provide ways to implement these at a grassroots-level, to illustrate the well struck balance between feasibility as well as understanding of our approach. We intend to blur the boundary between the society and this informal working population

BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES – AN APPROACH TO DESIGN

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Psychological mindset of a homeless worker

An efficient management system should be set up for informing, implementing and monitoring the policies. A study should be made of the various informal sectors in the city based on the density, work culture and lifestyle.

A social and physical platform must be set up, so that an individual from this section can associate himself with it so as to give him the security of belonging to a formalized system that will make him an eligible citizen of the society. This cooperative platform will provide the relevant information about schemes and programs provided to the informal sector by the government

Monitoring system Information on arrival

Sharing of ideas

PROPOSED POLICIES FOR THE UNIDENTIFIED

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Understanding the most pressing need of these individuals in their respective localities, A physical intervention should be brought about to create a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship between the society as well as this vulnerable section of society. A Physical intervention i) Will be given an added function so that it can be utilized as also a skill up gradation unit for those individuals who have availed for it. ii) Will be associated with commercial functions so as to self generate revenue for its working. Non-bank financial institutions will be set up at each of the platforms to monetarily connect these individuals to government affiliated banking systems. Collaboration with NGO’s, Social workers and local association is essential for the formation of these institutions. A financial linkage should be set up between the various financial institute for the parallel development of the scheme. Information technology department (IT) should be assigned to create a database of individuals belonging to the informal sector who intend to avail for their registration to the system. The record will be used to understand their footfall in the locality as well as for future planning and commercial development of the same. A formal official website should be design which will pace up and simplify the process of acquiring jobs for these deprived section of the society. Making use of the technology, the databases will be shared on a website designed specifically for employers to access and hence, provide quality employment to the labour force.

PROPOSED POLICIES FOR THE UNIDENTIFIED

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Social and financial security

Labor network

CENTRAL

GOVERNMENT STATE

GOVERNMENT LOCAL

GOVERNMENT TRANSITION CENTRE

BASIC FACILITIES

NON BANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTE

SKILL UPGRADATION

CENTRE

SITE SPECIFIC FUNCTION

(Formal platform)

Employment, Economic support, Identity, certified skill recognition, work experience, social security.

Rozgar naka / Day and night shelter / Hawkwes plaza

Sanitation, Amenities, Access to technology, Food and education security

Workshops, training centre

Financial depositary, Labour collateral, Social security.

toilets

Basic facilities

Non bank financial institute

Skill upgradation centre

Rozgar naka/ hawker plaza

Schematic representation of a social and physical platform consisting transition centre and the site specific function

NGO, Social Workers and Local Associations and Unions ( Finance team)

Executive officer (moderator) Region Controller and Ward officer

Sectoral Representatives

DATABASE DEPARTMENT

Information technology team

Divisional officer

Volunteers

Data regarding the footfall and labor network

Real Estate Agents, Commercial dervelopers

WEBSITE Quality Employment Social security

Commercial Functions Revenue Generation

THE MONITORING SYSTEM

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As a majority of the labor force being migrants into urban areas they are rendered to one of the major survival issues – housing . “ Home is a notion that only the nations of homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend.” •Homelessness is the manifestation of extreme poverty and vulnerability of this working population. Uncertainty prevails in their lives with no permanent jobs, identities ,livelihood and no permanent roof above them. •They lack adequate amenities that are essential to achieve the basic standard of living. Striving to survive , they maximize everything available to them. Therefore, we see them encroaching public spaces and utililizing public facilities. •The flourishing urban growth provides job opportunities and this money making incentives increase migration rates into the urban centres.

Factors that render them invisible : 1.lack of formal address and therefore lack of citizenship. 2.location of sleeping is irregular 3.occupying public spaces rather than prime city land.

HOMELESSNESS – AN URBAN REALITY

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On site documentation of various localities in major urban centres in the country showing how homeless working population become visible when the city breaths in the dark.

Apart from being overlooked for their valuable contribution in the commercial and service sector of urban India, homeless are termed invisible even as citizens.

Therefore, it is crucial to identify the role homeless play in the development of a commercial sector and uplift their present condition by economy empowering them for a developed economy in the city.

An efficient management system should be set up informing, implementing and monitoring the policies. A study should be made of the varied homeless involved in the locality based on density, work culture and lifestyle.

The programme for occupancy in the night shelter should be based on the studies made and hence are subjected to change with every

changing context.

The night shelter should accommodate 70% of working men,20% of working women and 10% of families (based on survey).

The above mentioned figures should be made flexible, as and when the site demands

A tender should be released for the development of the night shelter by interested parties including NGOs and the required land should be

made available free of cost by the government.

The tender should also be open to NGO’s and other non governmental organizations.

A financial linkage should be set up between the various prototypes in an urban context so that long term goals are made through parallel

development.

Collaborations with NGO's, hospitals and welfare associations should be made for the advocacy of the night shelter.

A cooperative society and banking system should be set up which provides relevant information about schemes and programs provided to

the urban poor by the government.

The proposal of night shelter should be considered as a government owned public amenity and should have reservation in the development

plan of the city.

The shelter should lie within a 2km radius/walking distance from the work culture of the homeless.

The day and night shelter should be replicated as a prototype in government owned development projects of public utility wherever the

need arises.

PROPOSED POLICIES FOR THE HOMELESS

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MUMBAI - THE MAGNET CITY

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FUTURE REPLICATION – A VISION FOR A BETTER LIVING

In Mumbai most of the homeless population constitute the labor force of the city. The design intervention becomes a prototype for all the labor sensitive areas of the city which have high concentration of homeless labors. Criteria for replication in the city -High density of homeless working population . -Strong work culture -Should be replicated in an open or a dead space • The design intervention is used as a catalyst to raise awareness regarding the issue of homelessness. A self sustainable prototype is inserted in areas with high homeless densities. These inserted acts as upliftment nodes in commercial hubs for the homeless individuals. • These prototype are replicated all over the city creating nodes. Various nodes in the city link to each other in such a way that they counter stabilize each other financially creating a system. Hence any loop hole or imbalance in the network can be detected which helps the system to develop parallel • The challenge to design homeless shelter lies in the existing scenario and living conditions of the homeless coupled with their aspirations to gain a responsible living standards in the coarse of their lifetime. • There is a strong stigma attached to the homeless and therefore, the intervention of creating a street with features like interactive spaces housing various activities like the naka system, weekly flee market, revenue generation programmes, along with the living module aims at diminishing this stigma • Through this modular bit site responsive insert we are contributing back to the locality as

well as the city, as we are harnessing the services provided by the ground labor force and organizing their distribution in the locality

• The direct proportionality of bustling commercial hubs to homeless density, reinforce the fact that the proposed replication of our design strategy of creating a public street with a naka system that organizes the labor network, will not only reduce the issue of homelessness as merely living without a roof but will also uplift the living standards of one of the most vulnerable sections of society.

NGO's and Government Offices: 1. DUSIB, Delhi Urban Shelter Board, New Delhi 2. Mother NGO, New Delhi 3. YUVA foundation, Mumbai 4. IGSSS, Indo-Global Social Service Society, New Delhi 5. Alternative Realities, Mumbai 6. MCD, Municipal Corporation Of Delhi, New Delhi 7. DDA, Delhi development Authority, New Delhi 8. HUDCO office, New Delhi 9. NMDC, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, New Delhi

Guidance: 1. Ar. Rohit shinkre, Principal, Academy of Architecture, Mumbai. 2. Ar. Ravindra Punde, Ex Principal, Academy of Architecture, Mumbai. 3. Ar. Shivani Singh, Town planner, Mumbai. 4. Ar.Harshad Bhatiya, Researcher for humanity, Mumbai.

Reports: 1. Choice less on the Street - BUILD 2. Living Rough, Surviving City Streets by Harsh Mander for Planning commission of India 3. Unsung City Heroes by Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) 4. Strategies to Combat Homelessness by United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) 5. Employment Situation in Mumbai: An Analysis by TISS (Mumbai). 6. Homeless Survey Report 2010 BY Delhi government and UNDP 7. India: Urban Poverty Report 8. REPORT On Urban Homeless By The National Advisor On Homeless To The Commissioners Of The Supreme Court 9. National Programs for Urban Homeless 10. Neoliberal City by Mumbai Reader 11. Social security bill 2008

Books: 1. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty 2. Alleviation, Government of India 3. Dimensions of Urban cities, by Sabir Ali

REFERENCES

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