India has a surprising number of government services available to its residents. Many of these services are, by right, available to the poor residents of villages and urban slums. Unfortunately, many poor residents are not able to access these services due to: 

• lack of knowledge about the entitlement; 
• lack of identity documents and confidence in approaching government officials; 
• corruption and caste-based discrimination.

JVI’s latest publication is part of a series created to provide community residents, NGO staff, and lawyers the information and practical tools to advocate for citizens’ rights in a variety of areas – from securing basic identity documents and government entitlements in the areas of food, jobs, education and health care to protecting other human rights. This manual also contains information specific to the city of Mumbai and resources available to its residents. JVI publishes these manuals in selected states across India and will continue to expand the regions covered in the future.

You can view the manual here.