Hyderabad: ‘Only 5% Muslims in Old City slums pursue higher edu’, says survey

Hyderabad: A post-COVID-19 survey in urban slums and catchments of the Old City of Hyderabad revealed that the vicious cycle of poverty continues among the Hyderabadi Muslims living in slums in the Old City.

Muslim population roughly constitute 43-44 percent (58+ lakh) of the approximate 1.3 crore population that belongs to the city.

While 60 percent of the 58 lakhs population reside in the urban slums, 74 percent stay in rented houses and 26 percent own houses.

The Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) conducted a survey aimed at understanding the post-pandemic impact on the socio-economic status of Muslims and the reasons why a majority continues to remain economically backward.

Door-to-door visits of 5000 households including Hakeempet, Md Lines, Golconda, Sulemanagar, Chintalmet, Wadi e Mehmood, MM Pahadi, Qayamnagar, Hasan Nagar, Indiranagar, NS Kunta, Achi Reddy Nagar, Teegalkunta, Ghousenagar, Hashimabad, Jahangirabad, Murad Nagar, Asif Nagar, First Lancer, Kumarwadi, Chanchalguda, Amaanagar, Baba Nagar C block, Wadi e Mustafa, ErraKunta, Shaheenagar, Saif Colony, Osmanagar, Venkata Puram, Pahadi Sherif, Jalpally, etc in the city was carried out.

Aspects that render towards the backwardness of Muslim minorities:

• 12-15 percent of school dropouts into child labour,
• Poor utilization of welfare schemes
• 38 percent do not have white ration cards
• 37 percent of women are single bread earners for households.
• 74 percent stay in rented houses and 26 percent own houses.
• 70 percent send children to private schools and only 14 percent attend government schools, while 7 percent go to madrasas.

Labour & Migration

• Unlike Muslims from other states, Hyderabad Muslims seldom migrate to greener pastures for work.
• 25 percent of households surveyed have large families of between 3 to 6 children.
• Skilled labour like tailors, mechanics, cooks, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and auto drivers are 62 percent.
• The unskilled daily wager is 25 percent.
• Self Employed constitute about 8 percent of the workforce.
• 37 percent of women are single bread earners for families of which 43 percent are widows, 22 percent are divorced and 37 percent are single women abandoned by spouses.
• No presence of Muslims in construction, agri and non-agriculture farm labour in and around the city.
• Stigma and taboo around types of jobs.

Utilization of welfare schemes & other public utilities

• 38 percent do not have White Rations Cards.
• Of these 22 percent are not active due to non-consumption of PDS rations, and 78 percent are rejected due to various reasons like Aadhaar Card seeding, biometrics, change of address etc.
• This leads to ineligibility to a plethora of welfare schemes of the state and central government like Asra Pensions, PDS Rations, Aarogyasri Health Insurance, Shaadi Mubarak, 2 Bedroom Housing, and Cooking Gas Subsidies.

Education

• The majority of Respondents said that due to the unavailability of teachers, classes are not regular in government schools and children lose interest.
• Poor infra in schools coupled with unhygienic toilets are a deterrent for many children and parents.
• 15 percent of children drop out of school between the 5th and 10th classes.
• Lack of economic opportunity and financial stress is resulting in children being forced into child labour to supplement household income.
• Only 11 percent of children between 0-5 years enrolment in Anganwadi Centers under ICDS
• Only 5 percent of students get into higher education.

Health & Lifestyle disease

• Of the 33 percent of all chronic diseases in the state get reported from Hyderabad, more than 50 percent are reported from Old city areas.
• Diabetes, Hypertension, CAD, and Cancer top the list.
• Our survey shows 1 in 3 adults are Overweight or Obese and half of these are already morbid /comorbid.
• Prevalence of Hypertension is about 30 percent and diabetes is about 18 percent in adults.
• 1 in 3 male adults has exposure to non-smoke tobacco.
• The low trust factor in public health services
• 72 percent prefer treatment in private hospitals, which puts a huge burden on the purse of the family who lands up in debt and poverty.

Primary Health Care

• 50 percent of slums have Poor Sanitation, Hygiene, and access to clean water.
• Seasonal diseases dominate as per season due to this.
• Forex Monsoon sees a rise in water and vector-borne diseases
• Quacks and RMPs dominate the Primary Health Care space leading to high out-of-pocket expenses.
• 58 percent of children surveyed were found vaccinated and 42 percent did take partially or haven’t taken it.
• 74 percent of vaccinations were done in a private setting and only 20 percent took vaccination in a government setting.
• Our survey shows average family spends Rs 3k /month on primary health care.

Debts & Interest

• 65 percent families have exposure to debts & high interest rates to bridge gaps for daily essential needs like food, medicine & other essentials.
• Interest rates of private money lenders vary from 10 to 21 percent.
• The majority continue to service the interest component of loans for longer periods of time – thereby crunching their monthly disposable incomes.
• High indulgence of the younger generation into loans from Online App.

Conclusion

Muslims living in slums of Old City slums suffer from high illiteracy in adults and lack of economic opportunity, zero migration and participation of workforce in construction and non-agri farm labour.

Poverty drives their children out of school resulting in child labour. Daily wage earning and high-interest burden, income – expense deficit due to poor utilization of welfare and public utilities, high burden of chronic diseases on adults and high out of pocket health expenses are factors that hold back poor Muslim households.

Need of the hour:

Building free schools, colleges, clinics and hospitals and not mosques and function halls with creating employment and upskilling the workforce, and behavioural changes would benefit the situation.

HHF’s Mujtaba Hasan Askari said, “Empowerment needs attention and it is the responsibility of the government, civil society and concerned citizens to work in tandem for the upliftment.”