the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa has more homeless population in its eleven cities and towns than it has in its 180-odd villages.
Official data reveals that 1693 people live without a roof over their heads in the eleven municipal areas as against the 1358 who have no homes in the villages. It is these 2051 people that the State is hoping to be a provider of houses since 2015 through its programme for the homeless under Central Urban Employment Mission and Deendayal Antyoday Yojana.
The Centre’s Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has thus far sanctioned around Rs 2.5 crore for the years 2015-16 and 2017-18 for schemes with provision to use these funds to provide houses for the homeless.
The homelessness scenario in Goa is in contrast to that in the rest of the country where the problem is more severe in the rural areas.
Goa also beats at least six States and Union Territories. It has more homeless people in comparison to States like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh and Centrally administered Union Territories like Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Daman and Diu.
While States like Manipur, Delhi, Tripura, Chandigarh, Kerala, Odisha has more homeless people than Goa.
There is however no data available on how the Rs 2.5-crore funds earmarked for the two schemes have been utilised since 2015-16 and how many of the homeless people in Goa have been provided shelters.
