India slum dwellers win property rights, thousands left out
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation India said on Thursday it had ushered in “a wave of change” for millions of slum dwellers – offering them the prize of home ownership – but it barred thousands more whose slums sit near temples, beauty spots and rich neighbourhoods. It is landmark move for more than four million […]
Four million slum dwellers in Delhi to win property rights
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Almost 2,000 informal settlements in Delhi are set to be legalised under a new law agreed by the government this week, which ministers said would give more than four million residents the right to own their homes in India’s capital. India’s cabinet this week passed a bill to regularise 1,797 unauthorised […]
Torch, radio…house deeds? US readies for hurricane season
Washington, DCThomson Reuters Foundation Torch, radio, whistle – all standard fare in a storm survival kit. Now Americans at risk of hurricane damage are being urged to grab their house deeds and check they are valid, too. Clear proof of ownership, legal experts say, is the key to unlocking vital government aid after a hurricane […]
Widows of suicide farmers to get land titles in Indian state
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Land titles of farmers who kill themselves in an Indian state will be given to their widows, according to a government order, granting inheritance equality in a nation where their property rights are often denied. A Maharashtra State Government order issued last week said the widows would also receive assistance with […]
As property prices rise, more Indian women claim inheritance
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Rising property prices in parts of India have helped achieve what women’s rights groups have tried and failed to do for decades – get more women to claim their inheritance. A 2005 law gave Hindu women across India equal inheritance rights but few have made claims because they are unaware […]
Tens of millions fear losing homes and land in next five years – poll
Thomson Reuters Foundation Tens of millions of people around the world fear losing their homes and land in the next five years and young people feel particularly vulnerable, according to a survey of 15 countries released on Wednesday. A lack of formal documentation and poor implementation of land laws threaten tenure in many countries, researchers […]
Nine years after war’s end, Sri Lankans wait for government to return property
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Sri Lanka has failed to fulfil pledges to return properties to thousands of people forced from their homes during decades of war, many of whom now live in desperate poverty, researchers said on Tuesday. Thousands of acres of land taken over during the war are still held by government forces who […]
POSTCARDS: DRIVEN FROM CAMPS, ROMA FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN ROME
ELAINE ALLABY, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the plight of the Roma people in Italy…
HOUSING: WITH COMMUNITY LOANS, MANILA SLUM DWELLERS BUILD HOMES
RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how communities in The Philippines are finding solutions to accommodation shortfalls…
Homelessness to digital IDs: five property rights hotspots in 2018
Thomson Reuters Foundation The global fight over land and resources is getting increasingly bloody and the race for control of valuable assets is expanding from forests and indigenous territories to the seas, space and databanks. Here are five hotspots for property rights in 2018: 1. Rising violence: From Peru to the Philippines, land rights defenders […]