Delhi Government To Rehabilitate All Eligible Slum Residents Under New Policy
Delhi announces rehabilitation plan for eligible slum residents.
The Delhi government has announced that residents of all slum clusters established in the city up to January 1, 2025, will now be eligible for rehabilitation under an expanded housing and resettlement policy. The decision was approved at the 36th meeting of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Officials said the move marks a significant expansion of the eligibility criteria under the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2026. Until now, only settlements identified up to 2015 were covered under rehabilitation provisions. The revised cut-off extends the benefit window by a decade, bringing a larger number of slum-dwelling families under the ambit of formal resettlement planning.
Chief Minister Gupta said the decision aligns with the government’s broader objective of ensuring dignified housing for economically weaker sections. She noted in a post on social media platform X that the policy is aimed at providing not just shelter but also access to essential civic infrastructure, including schools, healthcare facilities, anganwadis, and playgrounds.
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The government estimates that Delhi currently has 675 slum clusters housing approximately 3.06 lakh dwellings spread across 804.5 hectares. Officials said nearly half of these settlements are located on Delhi Development Authority land, while the remainder fall under various government, public sector, and private ownership categories.
Authorities added that the rehabilitation plan is part of a broader housing strategy that includes upgrading around 50,000 vacant flats for allocation to eligible families. The Chief Minister has also directed that no demolition of slum settlements should take place without prior rehabilitation, emphasising that alternative housing must be provided in cases where relocation becomes unavoidable due to infrastructure projects.
The policy is expected to significantly widen the scope of urban housing support in the capital, with officials stating that district-wise mapping of slum clusters will be used to prioritise rehabilitation efforts. South-East Delhi has the highest concentration of such settlements, followed by North and Central Delhi, while smaller clusters are spread across other districts including Shahdara, West, and East Delhi.
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