‘Footprints of Dignity’ book released
Nagpur, August 2026 : Nagpur is the only city in the country where ownership rights have been granted on a large scale to residents of slum settlements. However, the government will not stop at granting ownership rights and will also provide basic amenities in these settlements to improve the quality of life of their residents, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis was speaking at the release of the book “Footprints of Dignity: Building Tenure Rights in Urban Slums of India,” authored by Leena Budhe of the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD). The book documents the efforts made by Fadnavis to provide legal ownership rights to slum dwellers in Nagpur and the decisions taken by the government in this regard. The book was released by the Chief Minister at ‘Ramgiri’ in Nagpur.
Fadnavis said granting ownership rights to slum residents was extremely important and that the move had brought significant changes to their lives. He said efforts were being made to ensure their comprehensive development and improve living conditions in slum settlements. The book, he added, would serve as a guide for future efforts towards slum development.
The Chief Minister recalled that he had realised the seriousness of the issue when he was serving as Nagpur’s Mayor and subsequently continued to pursue it after becoming an MLA. He said Leena Budhe, who has been working in this field for several years, had presented the complex issue in a detailed and well-researched manner in the book.
“After becoming Chief Minister, I decided to grant ownership rights to slum dwellers. Slums have also come up on several privately owned properties, and the government took a decision to regularise such settlements as well,” Fadnavis said.
He added that the book had documented the entire process of granting ownership rights and the decisions taken by the government. He congratulated author Leena Budhe for documenting the journey and bringing the issue before a wider audience.
In her remarks, author Leena Budhe said full credit for enabling slum dwellers in Nagpur to receive ownership rights went to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. She said the issue of slum dwellers had existed for several decades but had not received adequate attention.
According to Budhe, Fadnavis extended support to the affected residents and took concrete decisions to address the issue, enabling thousands of slum dwellers to finally obtain ownership rights. The book chronicles this entire journey, she said.
Budhe said between 12,000 and 15,000 ownership-right pattas had been distributed to slum dwellers in Nagpur, describing it as a major achievement.
Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipan Itankar, Dr Suhas Budhe, colleagues from CFSD and relatives of Dr Budhe were also present on the occasion.
