URBAN BASIC SERVICES PROGRAMME IN INDIA: 1985

Made By :- Divyesh Babariya

• India's urbanization presents a picture of contrasts and complexities in terms of size, pace, pattern and consequences to overall development.
In terms of size, the urban population in India is around 217 millions constituting 25.72 per cent of the total population in 1991.1 According to
one estimate2 , by 2001, the urban population of India would be of the order of 320 to 338 millions; in other words, doubling of the population
in a span of two decades. By 2021, the population is estimated to be between 524 to 642 millilons.3 If the higher scale is accepted, it implies
another doubling in the following two decades. According to UN"s projections, India's urban population by the turn of the century would be 330
millions and by 2025 658 millions constituting 34.2 and 53.6 per cent respectively.4 In absolute numbers, India's urban population in 1990 was
estimated at slightly less than that of China (240 millions) and more than U.S.A. (183 millions) and U.S.S.R (197 millions).
• Such a rapid growth leads to economic, social, and ecological disruptions having an adverse impact on the living conditions of the urban
dwellers. The socio-economic conditions of these urban people are much worse than those of the rural poor because of overcrowding,
congestion, dirt, pollution, etc., resulting in poor health and living conditions. Urban growth puts heavy pressure on civic amenities and
services like water, shelter, electricity, employment opportunities, and recreational facilities.
• The urban poor living under a variety of deprivations are the worst victims of this situation. Urban poverty manifests itself in many forms. Most
visible of these are6 : proliferation of slums; fast growth of informal sector; increasing casualization and underemployment of labor; crushing
pressure on civic services; deprivation of educational and health contingencies; retarded growth and a growing sense of helplessness leading
to crime and violence.
• According to official estimates, approximately 27.7 per cent of the urban population, i.e., about 5.7 crore people were below the poverty line in
1987-88.7 The estimates of slum population in urban areas vary from state to state and city to city. Identified slum population in 1981 in India
was about 30 millions.8 One estimate, in 1983, put it at 40 millions and by 1990, it was expected to be 51 millions. The Task Force on Housing
and Urban Development,10 in its report estimated that by 2000 AD., India's slum population would be 78 millions or about 25 per cent of
India's urban population. Of these, 78 millions, the Task Force noted, that 36 millions would be living in the slums of metropolitan cities
alone.11 The distribution of slum population among the different classes of cities and towns is considerably skewed. For example, in
metropolitan cities, they vary between 38 to 65 per cent of cities' population and these cities account for a major share of slum population of
the states in which they are located. Class I cities account for more than one-third of the slum population, An important aspect of urban poverty
is that the larger the size of the city, the greater is the concentration of its urban poor In Its slums.
 Basic Amenities and the Urban Poor
• aped growth of urban population has its own consequences, viz., formation of slums and squatter settlements where the poor migrants live,
and heavy pressure on basic civic amenities and social services. All those who live in slums and squatter settlements have to do so under
constant deprivation of these services which are fundamental to human living. No doubt, there is no clear definition of what constitutes the
basic amenities and services. They may be interpreted objectively in terms of provision of minimum quality of food, clothing, shelter, water,
sanitation facilities, etc., or subjectively as satisfaction of wants as perceived by the people themselves. Thus, there are variations - to ILO, it is
employment which is likely to take care of physiological needs and to Sidney Webb, it is leisure.12 But there appears to be no controversy on
the core basic needs like shelter, water, education, sanitation and health. Non- provision of these basic needs has serious consequences to
the health of the community. According to one study, about 10 million people die each year due to water borne intestinal diseases, and about
80 percent of all human diseases are linked to unsafe water, poor sanitation and lack of basic knowledge of hygiene and disease
mechanisms.14 Women in developing nations, who traditionally are responsible for collecting and carrying water from long distances, suffer
the worst. It is estimated that this back breaking task consumes about one-fourth of a women's daily caloric intake. In urban areas, about one-
tenth of the earnings of the poor have to be spent to purchase water.15 In India, it was estimated that about 73 million man-days are lost every
year due to water borne diseases. It's costs in terms of loss of production and expenditure on Medicare was estimated at roughly one billion
dollars every year.
• In India, urbanization has put heavy pressure on the delivery\provision of basic needs. For example, one-fifth of urban population have no
access to water supply and only two- fifths have access to sanitation services. The National Buildings Organization has estimated that by
2001, the housing gap in urban areas would be 15.5 million houses.17 Another study estimated that by 2001, between 19.81 to 23.91 million
houses are required and this would cost about Rs.300 to 360 billions. The housing gap would increase to 142.51 to 173.63 millions by 2021
and the same would cost Rs.2137 to Rs.2604 billions.18 Similar provision for education and health care, which are the basic needs also
requires enormous resources.
• To mitigate the problems of the poor and to make provision for basic amenities to improve their quality of life, several policy interventions were
made and several programmed were launched. Among them. Urban Community Development Programmed (1958); Environmental
Improvement of Urban Slums (1972), IDSMT, and Integrated Child Development Services are important. The National Commission on
Urbanization has noted that there are a few effective and innovative programmed as well like the Sites and Services and Slum Improvement
Projects in Madras, Small Loan Programmed and Community Health Scheme of Calcutta, Low Cost Sanitation Schemes in Patna and other
cities and the Urban Community Development of Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.21 But these schemes could not make desired impact mainly
because of sectoral approaches and neglect of community involvement. The impact of these programmed was examined by the National
Commission on Urbanization. It concluded hat the "reach of the programmed is limited; there is high degree of inflexibility; there is lack of
convergence of programmed; even the main targets are often missed; (and with a few exceptions) the programmed are still working on a
laboratory scale.
 Urban Basic Services Programme
• It is in this context that the Urban Basic Services Programmed launched during the seventh five year plan period with the support of the UNICEF, and
Central and State Governments, gains importance. Urban Basic Services Programmed was launched in 1985 to cover over 200 towns. By the end of 1989,
it was under implementation in about 168 towns.23 The broad objectives of the programmed are similar in all the states. There are, however, variations in
implementation of the programmed from state to state. In this paper, we will examine the implementation of the programmed with special reference to
Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
• Basic aim of the UBS programmed is to upgrade the quality of the life of the urban poor, especially the most vulnerable sections like women, children and
other economically weaker sections. The programmed envisages development of urban slums by making provision of basic services like water, health and
sanitation, education, environmental upgradation, etc. Its guiding principles are community initiative and participation, convergence, cost effectiveness and
continuity. The strategy is to bring awareness and to promote collective action. It envisages organizing the community and encourage community
management. In tune with its nomenclature, the programmed, aims at providing the basic amenities and services to the identified slum communities. The
activities include provision of water, health care, education, nutrition, economic activities, environmental sanitation, recreation, and shelter. Each slum
community based on local needs and resources prepares a mini-plan and implements it after approval by appropriate bodies. By integrating the mini-plans
of all the slums Town Action Plan is formulated. The UBS programmed is aimed at utilizing the human resource potential. Participation, therefore, is
emphasized in the programmed. An important feature of the programmed is, instead of seeking people's participation in government sponsored
programmed, government departments and agencies participate in people's programmed. As such the community organizers, project officers and other
programmed staff act as motivators and catalysts in people's programmed than officers implementing the government programmed.
• Central to the UBS programmed is the Neighborhood Committee (NHC), constituted for every 200 families.25 The committee as a whole identifies the
needs of the community, prioritizes them keeping in view the resources, prepare an action plan and after their approval by the town management
committee, implements it. The decision-making is thus, based on collective wisdom of the community. The NHC assumes leadership as well as
responsibility on a self-help basis for the well being of the community. One representative, called Resident Community Volunteer (RCV), from every 15 to
20 families represents them in the Neighborhood Committee. Each member of the committee apart from taking responsibility for all aspects of the twenty
families whom she/he represents, would also look after an important activity like health, education, and try to articulate the problems of the community and
ensure the proper implementation of action plans. The programmed thus aims at community participation and self- management as well as building the
capacity of slum communities to organize themselves to implement development programmed.
• he administrative organization at state, district and town levels varies from state to state. At these levels, there are committees for coordinating and
monitoring the programmed regularly. There are, however, wide variations in the nature, composition as well as working of these committees.26
Experience of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa; Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are the two important states which have given considerable importance for the
implementation of the UBS Programmed from the beginning. Sixteen towns of Andhra Pradesh and 24 towns of Orissa, where the programmed is being
implemented, constitute roughly 25 per cent of the towns In the country. Though in other states, equal or more number of towns were selected, the
programmed could not be implemented in all the towns for different reasons.
 The urban
• Population of Andhra Pradesh, according to 1991 census is 17.8 millions while that of Orissa is 4.2 millions.27The estimated slum population in these two states
stands at 38.07 and 10.60 lakhs constituting 25 and 20 per cent of the total urban population of these states respectively. Between these two states, there are wide
variations in terms of urban areas which were selected for implementing UBSP towns. In Orissa, they are very small and are less urbanized whereas, in most cases in
Andhra Pradesh, towns are of medium size with more urban population. According to National Sample Survey Organization in 1987-88, about 25.82 per cent and
21.97 per cent urban people were living below the poverty line in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa respectively. Notwithstanding these dissimilarities, there are few
similarities in terms of implementation of the programmed.
• Both states have set up administrative institutions at various levels to supervise, monitor and implement the programmed. For example, in Andhra Pradesh, at the
Secretariat level, a full-time senior officer of the rank of the Joint or Additional Secretary was made exclusively in charge of the programmed. Similarly, in Orissa,
Director (UBS) of the rank of Deputy Secretary was given full charge of looking after the UBSP programmed under the overall supervision of the Director of Municipal
Administration. No doubt, these functionaries have weak administrative support to effectively undertake their functions. Similarly, at the district level, Joint Collector in
Andhra Pradesh and Additional District Magistrate in Orissa were made responsible for supervising the programmed. While in Andhra Pradesh, there are full-time
Assistant District Coordinators, there is no such institution in Orissa to coordinate the programmed at the district level. At the town level, there are town management
committees in both the states under the chairmanship of the Municipal Chairman in which the NGOs, social workers, apart from councilors and senior officers of the
municipality are the members (See Chart 1 and 2 appended to this paper).
• at the cutting-edge level, as per the broad guidelines of the Government of India, Neighborhood Committees (NHCs) were formed for every 200 families and there are
about 350 (NHCc) in Andhra Pradesh and more than 3000 Resident Community Voluntaries (RCVs) in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa respectively.
• One important feature of the Neighborhood Committees is that they are constituted with women members of the community. This was a conscious decision taken and
the assumptions behind the decision are :
-Women constitute about 50 percent of the population. But their involvement in development process is marginal. Women together with children constitute 68 percent
of the urban poor
-The problems of women and children are better understood and better managed by women themselves
- If a woman is educated, the whole family is educated while if a man is educated, he alone is educated
- Housewife as a homemaker is more affected and concerned by the absence of basic social services like health, education and physical amenities like water,
sanitation and proper shelter
- As a mother, woman is more attached to the upbringing of child who is the future citizen
- Women are the poorest of the poor at the family level as they are subjected to exploitation dominated by men in the poor families due to their lack of education and
freedom
- Planning issues would express women's needs if they are based on the basis of involvement of women
- Women are considered the best educators of other women on personal and domestic hygiene, sanitation and other facilities
- Women are the most frequent users of household units and normally it is they who encourage, teach and supervise young children about their use
- The status of women can be improved or raised effectively by empowering them and they can join the mainstream of society and come out of backwardness only
by shouldering the responsibility.
 A Critical Evaluation
• The programmed, though has marked a niche in the minds of both the planners and people about its need and significance, there are many problems and
weaknesses which cannot be lost sight of. The programmed was initiated by the Government of India to be implemented in 250 towns in the country
dispersed in several states on an experimental basis. Either because of absence of political will or procedural problems, or for other reasons, the
programmed could be implemented only in 168 towns. Even in these towns, there are wide variations in administrative structures, programmed focus,
participatory processes as well as the impact. It is difficult, therefore, to hazardous generalizations either on strengths or weaknesses of the programmed.
In what follows a critical evaluation of the programmed based on the experience of implementation and evaluation studies - undertaken on the subject
particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa is presented.

Positive Aspects
• The Urban Basic Services Programmed has struck roots and gained acceptance as an important programmed for the provision of basic services in the
urban slums. The urban poor, the local bodies and the state and central governments have become aware of its significance as well as potentialities to
provide basic services. In particular, the municipalities of small and medium towns have accepted the need and significance of the programmed.
• Urban poor appreciated the concept and philosophy of UBS and are participating in the programmed implementation actively and effectively. The
programmed provided an opportunity to harness the hidden potentialities of the community, particularly, the women in improving the quality of life and
provision of basic services. Community is ready and willing to contribute in cash, kind and labor wherever possible and necessary. Though initially there
was reluctance, it has given way to positive appreciation of the need and significance of their contributions to implement the programmed. Community
leaders and volunteers began to take pride in the ownership of the assets created and also are keen to protect the 'assets from misuse and exploitation'.
There is readiness on the part of the community to sustain the assets created through proper maintenance. Neighborhood committees in several towns
began to take active interest in articulating their needs, preparing mini-plans and implementing the programmed components. Empowerment of women has
led to realization that they too are partners in the process of development. Members and conveners of the neighborhood committees are now shouldering
greater development responsibilities.
• The neighborhood committees have learned to manage the revolving fund on their own or with the help of community organizers, wherever necessary.
• In a majority of the towns where the programmed is under implementation, a part of the fund is being spent for giving small loans to the needy members of
the neighborhood to organize income generating activities like starting a new business or petty trade or to expand the existing business. The loan scheme
has helped many to supplement their incomes, though the additional income is limited to Rs.50/- to Rs.75/- per month. It enabled a few to get out of the
clutches of the moneylenders and developed the habit of thrift and saving among the poor. It also instilled interest among the poor to demand skill training
to invest the loan properly and to take maximum advantage. Above all, the scheme has brought out community solidarity which is evident from prompt
repayment of loans to enable other members of the community to take advantage of the scheme.
• The support and keen interest shown by the State Government and the UNICEF has given the much needed impetus and has contributed for effective
implementation of the programmed. Finally, the training and orientation programmed to the officials and non-officials as well as community leaders has
brought awareness about the problems of urban poor, need and significance of participatory processes as well as implementation methodologies. Training
has played a very significant role in accelerating the process of implementation. Further, concentration in capacity building at various levels would ensure
consolidation of the gains as well as increased community participation.

Weaknesses

• In the beginning, baseline surveys are undertaken hastily, and neighborhood committees were constituted with disinterested and unmotivated RCVs. In the
absence of full complement of trained personnel in the municipalities, no efforts were made to explain the concept and philosophy to the slum communities
to enlist their support and participation. The mini-plans prepared, as a result, did not reflect the felt-needs of the community but, were formulated by the
project staff based on their individual perception of the felt-needs of the community. No doubt, some of these basic weaknesses were overcome with the
appointment of project staff, with training and orientation and increased awareness about the nature and scope of the programmed.
• The Administrative structures at the state, district and town levels need much to be desired. Though the senior officers like Joint and Additional Secretaries
at the state level and Joint Collectors at the district level were made nodal functionaries to guide, supervise and monitor the programmed, they were not
provided with adequate support to enable them to play their role effectively. In particular, to the Joint Collectors, to whom UBS is one of the many functions,
it created serious problem in allocating sufficient time and attention to the programmed. In Andhra Pradesh, though the Assistant District Coordinators (of
the rank of District Collectors) were appointed to assist the Joint Collectors, their revenue background and experience in regulatory administration came in
the way of their guiding and supervising an essentially community oriented and participation- based programmed like the Urban Basic Services.
• There appears to be reluctance on the part of some key functionaries to appreciate the concept and philosophy of UBS. To some, it is a low key priority
because of low budget and to some others, it is an avoidable burden on their time and therefore, consider it as unwelcome. Revenue culture34 which
characterizes Indian administration has its own suffocating affect on programmed implementation which is based on participatory processes. One of the
guiding principles of the UBS is convergence, but this appears to be the weakest spot in implementation of the programmed. Inter-departmental
coordination and cooperation was very weak both at the state, district and local levels. As a result of team spirit, which is sin qua non in any development
programmed, where several agencies, individuals and groups are involved, could not be forged because of overemphasis on narrow departmentalism. The
problem was accentuated by the frequent transfers of officials - particularly those who were trained.
• The UBS programmed in some places was implemented as any other government programmed rather than as a development programmed with people's
participation. Another problem was the implementation of UBS as a separate programmed rather than as an integral part of town development plan of
poverty alleviation. Thus, there was no proper integration of UBS with other municipal services at the town level. Added to this, the municipal bodies, with
their very weak financial resources, quite often, found it difficult to contribute 20 per cent of their share. At every review and monitoring committee meeting
at state and district levels, this problem prominently figured consuming considerable time.
• Political pressures and interventions and treating the project staff unkindly was another problem. From the beginning, there have been efforts, though,
unintentional, to keep elected councils outside the UBS programmed. The only link between the UBS and the municipal council is the municipal chairmen.
This created a feeling that the councilors are being deliberately overlooked, particularly, when the council contributes 20 per cent of the programmed costs.
This has led to the feeling on the part of the councilors that it is an infringement of their legitimate right to administer civic programmed. Some of the
municipal councilors perceived that neighborhood committees are a threat to their leadership and as well as to their sphere of influence. The clash of
leadership and vested interests in some places dampened the initiative of the neighborhood committees and even the programmed staff.
• Despite efforts made by the training institutions, particularly, the Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies, Osmania University, training efforts
remained inadequate. This is more apparent in the case of functionaries at the grass-root levels, i.e., the community volunteers, community health
volunteers and political functionaries like municipal chairmen and municipal councilors. As a result, full potentialities of these functionaries could not be
harnessed. A closely connected is the training programmed at the community level for skill formation or upgradation of the existing skills. They were either
inadequate or not commensurate with the expectations and aspirations in the slum communities. Similarly, the training and orientation to the district level
functionaries, with whom UBS functionaries have to coordinate and converge their activities is a neglected area. This created several problems to the
project functionaries effecting the implementation process.
• As is well known, UBS programmed was the first development programmed initiated in the country on the lines of rural community development
programmed with community initiative and participation. Through training and orientation, the community leaders and volunteers were explained about the
concept, philosophy, guiding principles and the programmed components. Despite these efforts, in some slums, the neighborhood committees were
reluctant to fully utilize the opportunities provided to them in implementing some of the programmed components. Most important of them is extending
small loans to the needy and deserving out of the revolving fund to undertake pretty trades and to extricate them from the stranglehold of the
moneylenders. Either due to conservatism or for fear of difficulties in recovery or due to inability to spare time to implement the programmed, some NHCs
were reluctant to extend the benefit to the people.
• Involvement of NGOs in the implementation of the programmed has been very limited. The UBS is based upon the principle of flexibility, but insistence on
following the rules and procedures which is a characteristic of Indian bureaucracy has often came in the way of 8 implementation of the programmed as
also for effective people's participation. Often, the municipal officials fearing the prospects of criticism by the audit, insisted on following the accepted
administrative norms, or insisted on instructions or guidelines from the government. Flexibility, therefore, existed only on paper in many places.
Conclusions

• The foregoing clearly brings out the strengths and weaknesses that underlie the implementation of UBS programmed. During the last two years the
programmed has been reformulated as Urban Basic Services for the Poor and is being implemented with the financial support of the Government of
India.34 The programmed is integrated with the Nehru Rozgar Yojana35 and Environmental Improvement of Urban Slums under urban poverty alleviation
package. The former is a programmed aimed at providing employment opportunities and the latter aims at providing infrastructural facilities in the urban
slums. Efforts are being made to associate Neighborhood Committees in the identification of beneficiaries under these schemes. The emphasis under the
revised Urban Basic Services for the Poor programmed is also on the participatory processes. Implementation of Urban Basic Services Programmed
should be based on the experience gained in Urban Basic Services during the past five years. There is need to convert the weaknesses into strengths and
opportunities.
• The UBS programmed is the first serious effort for the provision of basic services to the urban poor emphasizing on the participatory processes. Fulfillment
of basic needs as an objective is non-controversial though there may be differences on the approaches and the strategies adopted. UBSP should not be
construed as only a programmed for the provision of certain amenities. It should be construed as a philosophy, a process, a method and an approach. As
the purpose of development is to develop the man and just not developing things, the UBSP alms at harnessing and developing human potential for the
fulfillment and satisfaction of basic amenities. This becomes all the more imperative in the context of rapid urbanization.