A/HRC/34/51/Add.1 subsequent orders on the right to food nationally. 27 Generally speaking, governments at the central and state levels appear to treat that very visible population as relatively invisible, showing insufficient interest in addressing their immediate needs, or reflecting on the causes of homelessness and adequate policy responses. Most homeless people are the “city makers”, providing the informal labour and services that sustain urban activity, but governments appear reluctant to provide housing, land and basic services to that population. As a result, there are not enough shelters to meet requirements, or they rarely cater to specific populations such as children, women, persons with disabilities or persons who need treatment for addictions. Homeless people are never considered candidates for long-term housing options, such as through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme. 37. That said, through a series of orders, the Supreme Court has provided detailed guidelines for states about the number of shelters that must be constructed and the services that must be provided. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has also established the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, with the aim of providing shelter for the urban homeless. The Special Rapporteur was informed that Rajasthan has adopted a progressive policy whereby emergency shelters are the first step towards rehabilitation, offering skills training to shelter residents and assisting them in the transition to employment and long-term housing options, a model that other city authorities are taking on board, for example in Delhi. C. Informal settlements and evictions 38. An estimated 13.75 million households 28 (between 60 and 70 million people) in urban areas are compelled to live in extremely inadequate housing conditions in informal settlements.29 Invariably, it is the most vulnerable groups who make up the population of informal settlements. Uniquely, as compared to other jurisdictions, the Indian census collects data on that household type. According to the data, between 2001 and 2011, the number of households in informal settlements increased by over 37 per cent. That trend is likely to continue with the urbanization of the country. The census also showed that over one third of informal settlements lack electricity, piped water and sanitation. 39. The Special Rapporteur learned that informal settlements are referred to as “slums” in official discourse. She was surprised that many government officials and members of the judiciary consider residents of informal settlements to be living there illegally, and often stigmatize them as “encroachers” or “occupiers”, without always recognizing the important services they provide to other urban dwellers or the decades they have lived in the same locations, frequently on public lands. 40. Many residents of informal settlements lack security of tenure, one of the cornerstones of the right to adequate housing. 30 Forced evictions are common, sometimes 27 28 29 30 See Supreme Court of India, People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India and Others. Housing and Land Rights Network, Housing and Land Rights in India, p. 4. Census definition of slum: “residential areas where dwellings are unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangements and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of street, lack of ventilation, light, or sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors which are detrimental to the safety and health”. There are three classifications: notified, recognized and identified slums. See Housing Stock, Amenities, Assets in Slums, 2011 census. See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing, para. 8. See also the following reports of the former Special Rapporteur on adequate housing: A/HRC/22/46 and A/HRC/25/54. The latter includes the Guiding Principles on Security of Tenure for the Urban Poor. 11