Urban Ecology: The politics of Resources

by

Renana JhabvalaSelf Employed Women’s Association

SEWA: History

• The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a trade union of women workers in India’s unorganized or informal sector. Founded by Ela Bhatt in 1972,

• Over 1.2million members in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, and Uttarakhand.

SEWA Members

Members are women in informal economy:-- Street vendors, such as vegetable vendors-- Homebased workers, such as garment stitchers,

leather workers--Women selling their labour and services, such as

agricultural labourers, child care providers-- Small producers, such as small farmers, milk

producers

SEWA’s Two Main Objectives

• To organise women workers to achieve full employment, i.e. work security, income security, food security and social security

• To make women individually and collectively self-reliant, economically independent and capable of making their own decisions

SEWA in Urban Areas• Gujarat- Ahmedabad, Baroda, Gandhi Nagar…….• Madhya Pradesh- Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain…..• Delhi- West, North, North East Delhi• Bihar- Katihar, Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna• Rajasthan- Jaipur, Bikaner• Uttarakhand- Dehradun, Almora• Kerala- Trivandrum• Uttar Pradesh- Lucknow• West Bengal-

Trades/ Work/ type of SEWA members

(Urban Employment)

Street Vendors- vegetable vendors, small scale vendors etc

Home-based workers- Embroidery Workers, Agarbatti roller, Bidi roller etc

Labor services- Construction workers, Waste pickers, Head loaders etc

Work and Public spacesexample of street vendors

• About 2% of the urban population are street vendors. Yes, cities do not plan spaces for them

• Result– they are always illegal and beaten and fines and have to undertake their livelihood “illegally”

• Solution: Implement the National Policy for street vendors– from removal to regulation

.

Work and access to public waste

• The poorest of the poor are rag pickers living off public waste. They performing an important “green” function of recycling.

• Solid Waste Management policies and tenders, remove their livelihood. Stop recycling

• Solution: Include them and recycling in SWM by appropriate policies (tenders)

My Home – My workplace• For about 30% of poor households their home is also their

work place.• Poor house quality lowers productivity• Zoning results in unemployment

Towards Solution– recognize the home as a workplace and Zoning should be mixed use esp. for homebased workers House improvement through infrastructure and loans must

be considered productive Electricity essential for productivity and should be priced

right.

Inclusion in Urban Infrastructure• Provision of urban infrastructure is tied to the

tenure status of the land on which people live• Leads to open defecation, drinking polluted

water, illnesses and tensions in communities.

Towards Solution– make provision of drinking water and toilet the right of every urban resident. Delink provision of basic services from the status of the land.

Habitat

• Lack of tenure and uncertainty of life, in spite of making payments for their houses.

• Inability to invest due to lack of tenure

Towards SolutionsIn situ up gradation, through granting shelter

rightsSpaces planned in cities for low income habitatsHousing finance for the poor

Urban Governance- Bringing in the voice of the poor

• Urban Local Body structures do not reach down into communities/ So no forums for “Voice” of the poor

• Only people with money and power get heard and so lop-sided investments and policies

Towards Solution, to create forums for Voice eg:Ward committees for street vendingCBOs which will function as RWAs for the poor

Thank you

Subyben( mother) Reena Gangoben (grand mother) Old cloth vendor SEWA worker Street vendor