Mumbai is not the only place where urban opulence co-exists with slums. As per the data procured by the government there are now 188 odd cities and towns in India where inhospitable living conditions for urban poors exist in increasing number of slums.

The Census data of 2001 shows that Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of 36 cities and towns with slum population of 50,000 and above, followed by Maharashtra 26, Uttar Pradesh 25, West Bengal 21 and Madhya Pradesh 15.

The data released on Wednesday by the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation shows that almost all states have cities having over 50,000 people living in the slums, even the states like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Meghalaya having two, two and one such cities respectively.

The cities and towns with sizeable slum population in some other states are: Haryana 8, Chhattisgarh 6, Gujarat and Rajasthan 5 each. Goa and Kerala as also all northeastern states, barring Meghalaya, do figure as states where slums are non-existent.

The Centre has launched two programmes to improve living condition of  slum-dwellers all over India. Its Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) provides funds to the states for creating housing and infrastructural facilities for the urban poor in 65 cities, including Mumbai, under the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) programme.

For the remaining 124 towns, the Integrated Housing and Slum development Programme (IHSDP) has been introduced. The components for assistance include provision of basic services to the slum dwellers, whom the government prefers to call urban poor. Though the JNNURM began in right earnest in some parts of the country, there are many states which are not availing the funds from the scheme.

Though the programme for urban regeneration was supposed to be an ambitious programme monitored by the PMO, there is hardly any discernible impact on the living conditions of slums even in metropolises.