Q&A with Mr. Rajendra Joshi
Author of, "Smart Cities: Breaking the Poverty Barrier"
Cities have a distinctive role in development processes and housing is an integral component of it. Housing is well understood as an indicator of economic prosperity and ensuring affordable housing is a significant endeavour. In his recent book, Mr. Rajendra Joshi explores the idea of ‘smart cities’ through the lens of grassroot interventions that understand the contextual challenges and propose practical solutions for low-income communities. The book, titled ‘Smart Cities: Breaking the Poverty Barrier’, is an account of Saath’s journey of thirty years, dedicated towards integrated development in low-income neighbourhoods of Ahmedabad and other places in India.
The book, ‘Smart Cities: Breaking the Poverty Barrier’, is available for purchase on Amazon
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The book draws attention to the ‘forgotten citizens’ who shape our cities but remain disadvantaged. It draws on personal experiences of working with the communities and collaborating with partners who have been supporting Saath in its mission of integrated development. Through a detailed explanation of Saath’s operations spread across healthcare, education, microfinance, livelihoods, and housing, Mr. Rajendra paints a comprehensive picture of what is required to make our cities inclusive, safe and equitable. The book also entails description of the team members and insights from sector experts who highlight the importance of building a nuanced understanding of ‘smart cities’. The book propels reflection on how housing is crucial in determining quality of life and how small interventions in the right direction can have significant implications on an individual’s life and their claim in the city.
Mr. Rajendra Joshi is Founder of the Saath Charitable Trust in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. As a social entrepreneur, he has long been engaged in development work focused on low-income communities of Gujarat and other states in India. He is a recipient of the title ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2009’ by the Schwab Foundation, for his exceptional work in using market-based strategies to facilitate important interventions across a wide range of sectors. Through Saath he has worked towards ‘integrated’ slum development and facilitated incremental housing and Housing Resource Centres for the low-income housing space in India.
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Indian Housing Federation (IHF) reached out to Mr. Rajendra Joshi, author of the book, ‘Smart Cities: Breaking the Poverty Barrier’, to know more about his work on the ground and the implications of interventions undertaken by Saath, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the low-income housing sector. The following questions were answered by him in an online interview and have been reproduced below as such.
What inspired you to document your experience of working with individuals and communities residing in low-income neighbourhoods? What new learnings or reflections unfolded in the journey of writing this book?
Saath was completing its thirty years in 2019, and I thought it will be worthwhile to document what we have done since the inception and put it out in the form of a book. Capturing our thirty years of journey was the main inspiration. Even before publishing the book, I wanted to write about the stories of the people who we have worked with and I thought that writing a book would be a good opportunity for doing that.
While writing, I could draw reflections on what impact our work had made in the lives of people. Working in NGOs and creating an impact is a gradual and a longer-term process. NGOs often do not work on a project basis for two or three years to achieve a specified target. Often the impact created by NGOs is spread out and shows positive results after a number of years. In the journey of writing this book, I met people whom I had met some thirty years ago. I could reflect on how their lives had changed, how their quality of life and self-confidence had improved, by observing the cascading effect of the work that we had done. For instance, under the Slum Networking Project where we worked to enable the access to basic services in a slum, people themselves improved some other facilities in the area and many households built a two-storey house, over the years. The major learning was how little intervention can have a significant impact on people. One may think that a project is small and limited, or that an individual’s work in imparting skills is directed to only a limited number of people, or that providing a school education to a child, will only have negligible impact. However, over the years all the efforts have a significant impact which is very satisfying because it encourages one to continue what one has been doing.
Overtime, Saath has expanded its work domain in housing, infrastructure, healthcare, education, livelihoods and microfinance. What were some of the challenges and experiences in widening the scope of influence on ground?
We started Saath with the goal of ‘integrated development’ which meant that we had a vision of working in all the domains that are mentioned - education, livelihood, microfinance, healthcare, infrastructure, and housing. We knew we would be working in all these domains but were aware that it would be challenging to work in all of these simultaneously because of limitations in securing large funds. For example, in Guptanagar, we initially started with activities pertaining to health and education programmes with the funding that was available. As the work progressed, we realised that there was a need for basic services in the same slum. We then started talking to residents about the infrastructural requirements. When the residents agreed, we expanded our work into the domain of infrastructure. To establish infrastructure, people needed credit and loans, so then we expanded our work in microfinance and partnered with the Sewa Bank for its facilities. Once all of this started working out, we realised that the primary need of the people is the continuity in their livelihoods. Subsequently, we started working on livelihood programmes. Every intervention has a cascading effect. When we had started with health and education programmes, we could win the confidence of the community. With the support of this confidence we went to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and spoke to them about getting basic services into the slum. We gradually spoke to other partners for collaboration. There have been several milestones and one success built on another to propel the process of scaling up.
A session from Saath’s educational programme.
Photo Courtesy: Saath
The biggest challenge was to convince stakeholders beyond the community to make them understand what we were trying to do and how the partnership can support a desired outcome. From the beginning, we knew that the task of integrated slum development cannot be done by a single organisation itself. We logically had to collaborate with the AMC and the challenge was to discover ways to convince them. We further identified other partners to collaborate with, convinced them of the idea and then implemented it effectively. Once the work gets started and if within the first six months the collaborators see some positive impact, they feel encouraged to continue the support. Once the work picks up pace, it is easier to scale it up. When our slum networking project was showing positive impact, other NGOs working in other slums picked up on the idea and contextually widened the scope of the project. We were clear that when it comes to scaling up, we would not be doing it by ourselves because that is not possible. If somebody wants to scale up an intervention in a new city, one needs groundwork of a local organisation which has credibility, support for sustenance, and contacts. We are open to sharing our learnings with others so that it can be replicated.
A recent video story captured by Heroes of India project, and the initial chapter of the book, focuses on “forgotten citizens” who build and run our cities but experience marginalisation and exclusion. In what ways can their existence and contributions be dignified or acknowledged through provision of adequate housing connected with basic amenities?
The ‘forgotten citizens’ first have to be ‘un-forgotten’ by making an effort to remember them and recognise their efforts. It is only once they are recognised that we will start thinking about their housing needs. One of the motivations for writing this book is to have more people to remember the ‘forgotten people’. A museum in Ahmedabad, Mehnat Manzil, celebrates the life of the people working in the informal sector and incorporates a glimpse of life of the people living in the slums, because most of the people working in the informal sector live in the slums and other low-income neighbourhoods. The work that they do has to be made visible, valued and recognised. Once their contributions to the growth and maintenance of the cities is acknowledged, one can talk about how they live, their needs and housing requirements connected with basic amenities. When decision-makers of a city start thinking about these citizens then a substantial change happens.
A group of women participating in a training programme.
Photo Courtesy: Saath
A museum in Ahmedabad, Mehnat Manzil, celebrates the life of the people working in the informal sector and incorporates a glimpse of life of the people living in the slums, because most of the people working in the informal sector live in the slums and other low-income neighbourhoods. The work that they do has to be made visible, valued and recognised. Once their contributions to the growth and maintenance of the cities is acknowledged, one can talk about how they live, their needs and housing requirements connected with basic amenities. When decision-makers of a city start thinking about these citizens then a substantial change happens. There are many examples across the world and in India, about the needs and processes to ensure adequate housing and basic services. The biggest challenge is to accept and recognise that there is a large population which is living in inadequate conditions but is helping the city and supporting the lives of middle and upper-middle class households. They make our life comfortable and the city owes them something and we should try to ensure that they live in better housing conditions.
An excerpt from your book reads: “As a migrant settles in a city, the need for housing changes based on personal, livelihood and social - needs and choices.” What is the housing continuum for a migrant worker to become a longer term resident in a city? How has Saath’s role been crucial in facilitating incremental housing for low-income households?
Research studies and our own experience has shown that when migrants come to a city, they look for some kind of livelihood opportunity and gradually begin to make their space in the city. When they come to a city, initially they find temporary lodging with somebody from their village or a family member or a friend who is similar to them in terms of caste or geographical origin. They stay with them for a few days until they find livelihood and then they find affordable housing options. They first move to a dormitory or a hostel accommodation in a slum. Such dormitories usually have ten-twelve people in a room. They send a proportion of their earnings back to their home and from the remaining amount, they maintain and feed themselves in the city. After the migrants have settled in the city and their livelihood is more stable and secure, they move into a rented house in the slum. They move into a rented house for a couple of years when they become more stable in their work and build more familiarity with the city. This happens often when the wife and the children join them. When more self-confidence is gained, they shift to another larger accommodation or buy a house in a slum. Though the ‘legality’ of some slums is often contested, the practice of buying a house in a slum is widely seen. The person first becomes the owner of a house in the slum and then he becomes a proud owner of a house elsewhere in the city. After that the final step is to buy the legal house which is not in a slum but is affordable. They will no longer be a resident of a slum but like any other resident in a city, they start staying in their own formal house, reaching the last stage of the housing continuum.
Saath has established ‘Housing Resource Centres’ in three cities - Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Varanasi - to assist people to gain access to affordable housing. What has been the operational procedure of these centres?
Saath has worked at all the stages of the aforementioned housing continuum and has tried to create support structures along the various stages. This is where the Housing Resource Centres (HRCs) have played an important role. The HRCs have information and data on the housing facilities available in the city, such as dormitories, houses on rent, houses for sale in low-income neighbourhoods, and houses for sale in the housing societies in the formal market. A migrant can come to the HRC, go through the available housing data and accordingly find and book a secure space. The migrant can choose the type of house with respect to affordability and the location which may be closer to the place of work. Following the idea of the HRC we launched an initiative called Griha Pravesh.
For the Griha Pravesh initiative, we identified some key stakeholders such as the developers who are making affordable housing, the housing finance company which wanted to give loans, and the people who want to buy affordable formal housing. Griha Pravesh would then find a potential house buyer vis-a-vis the housing project, the developer, the size and location of the house, and the best source for housing finance in terms of rate of interest, term of the loan and down payment. This would help the person to make an informed choice about buying the house rather than depending on what friends or acquaintances would be able to suggest. Over the last few years, more than 2,500 people have bought affordable formal housing through the HRC. The centres also facilitate government schemes pertaining to housing. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) there are provisions for upgrading housing in an incremental way or to buy an affordable house, and the scheme is facilitated by HRCs. I believe that incremental housing is the best solution, although it may not be practical all the time but in a majority of cases, incremental housing is the best solution for the housing needs in slums. This is why we started promoting incremental housing in slum networking projects believing that people will get basic services and will pay for it if the title of permanence is given. The people will upgrade the houses on their own but many will require loans. Hence, we connected them with various institutions, mostly microfinance institutions which would give them personal loans. These loans are given for upgrading houses in an incremental fashion. The operation procedure of the centres take place in a physical setup where people come over to acquire information available on housing and the staff guides people to gain access to housing. The centres are overseen by managers and field workers, and it is run like any other project office.
In an interview with CNBC TV 18 in 2009 and in the course of your book, you discuss the ways in which Saath partnered with the state government and urban local bodies to leverage support for implementing initiatives in livelihood missions. Given your experience, could you also share why partnerships and collaborations with government agencies and other organisations is significant for enabling interventions in the low-income housing sector in India?
Partnerships with other academic institutions, NGOs and government agencies is very important because any individual NGO does not have the kind of resources that the government has. One has to look at where the resources are available. Certainly when it comes to infrastructure in slums, municipal corporations have the access to resources; when it comes to providing microfinance, there are microfinance institutions who have suitable resources. In order to do what one has set out to do, one has to leverage resources.
An alley in a low-income neighbourhood of Ahmedabad.
Photo Courtesy: Saath
An NGO will most likely have only basic resources to pay for its staff and the basic cost of the project. But the external sources have to be leveraged in order to aim integrated slum redevelopment. It is significant to ensure partnerships and collaborations but our experience has also reflected that it takes a lot of time and effort to build good partnerships. In recent years, NGOs are seen suspiciously but it was not the case 15-20 years ago. It is important that as an NGO establishes its credibility by being transparent, accountable, trust-worthy and governed well to show the social impact then convincing and building partnerships with the government or private sector is easier.
The book brings a nuanced perspective on ‘smart cities’ to the forefront by referring to them as cities which ensure “equitable sharing of resources, inclusion of informal sector population, and social cohesion”. How can other cities, policymakers and planners take inspiration from Saath’s work to preserve these elements, leverage the agency of communities and create a sound housing ecosystem for all its citizens?
In Ahmedabad we have created an example of a case study of how one can enhance the quality of life of the people living in slums and at the same time cause minimum distractions by creating a non-destructive housing ecosystem. In such an ecosystem communities are central and the role of an NGO and the government is coordinated to provide support to the community. This is what we have been doing over the last 32 years. The basic tenets are already mentioned in the book. The need is to build community leadership, disseminate proper information to communities, increase the self-esteem of communities and leverage resources that create opportunities. Detailed examples of good practices are given in the book.
A glimpse of a group of women engaged in a participatory activity
Photo Courtesy: Saath
A policymaker, an NGO, a concerned citizen, an academic institution can work towards a sound housing ecosystem by replicating some of our work contextually on the ground. The book tells the story of how it can be made to happen and it is for them to understand and learn.
The book draws attention to a grounded idea of ‘smart cities’. A smart city is a safe and secure city for its citizens, whoever they may be in terms of - caste, class, religion, age, gender, ability, etc. We shall show a collective responsibility and ensure that our cities are safe and inclusive and that is what I have tried to bring out in this book.