Cities in India have grown by nearly 2.6% in the decade between 2001-2011 with 31.16% of India's ttotal population living in urban areas according to the 2011 Census. With nearly 377.10 million people iving in the urban areas, urban planning and development are emerging areas for engagement of civil ociety organisations that work for equitable and just development. s economic growth, cities have also become sites of struggle, material deprivation, informal, insecure livelihood and exclusion for a large segment of the population.

93 percent of total workforce in India is engaged in the informal sector of which the urban informal sector workers constitute a significant mass. The contribution of urban informal sector workers is pegged at over 50 percent in the GDP of India. However, the urban poor informal workers’ group face residential, social and occupational vulnerabilities and are not reflected within the city’s formal overnance and planning process.

IGSSS has worked intensively on the issue of shelter rights of homeless residents during the years 2008 until now. It now envisages a strong engagement on the overall rights of urban poor informal wurban programme are Construction workers, street Vendors, Rickshaw pullers, Rag pickers, Domestic help, Child labor, Sex workers, homeless, Migrant labourers and Slum/Pavement dwellers.

Focus Areas for Proposal: IGSSS is interested in partnering with NGOs and institutions for developing and implementing rojects for the above categories of urban poor at priority locations, in the areas of assertion of theiregalIdentity, Migration, Housing/Tenurial security, Enhancing participation of informal sectororkers and other excluded groups in Urban Planning, City governance and social accountability, Labour rights and legal aid, Livelihood and Social Security, Access to Entitlements and Organisation of workers.