ABSTRACT
The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) is the first affordable urban housing scheme in India that entitles the urban poor to shelter and basic services regardless of their de jure status. The scheme recognizes the role of universal access to basic services in transitioning to an equitable urban future. However, its first redevelopment project at Kathputli Colony in Delhi reveals glaring policy inadequacies that have left many households within the community in conditions worse than before. Through the lens of the Kathputli redevelopment project, this chapter investigates the ways in which the policies of RAY have been met on ground. It argues that the focus on redevelopment undermines the opportunities of investing and upgrading the affordable and incremental services already available in slums. The chapter concludes by highlighting how in-situ upgrading can become a more secure and affordable means of providing universal access to basic services for the urban poor.
