Slums are an unhappy reality for our country and many others across the world. Over one billion world inhabitants live in slums today and the numbers are climbing. The UN estimates that about 1.4 billion people will be occupying slums by the year 2020. In India the total number of slum dweller totals about 65 million, of which Maharashtra alone accounts for 11 million. Next comes Andhra Pradesh, with a slum population of 10 million, followed by West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, with over 6 million each. The figures are indeed staggering. Slums are a major urban drawback and a huge hurdle in the country’s development.