Srinagar, Aug. 9 -- Jammu & Kashmir has 10,848 people living without any form of shelter in urban areas, according to the latest government data tabled in Parliament, a figure unchanged from the 2011 Census and now standing without an updated official count even as a key central scheme for urban homeless has wound up.

The numbers were revealed in a written reply in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Tokhan Sahu, in response to a question on the status of urban homelessness across India. While the Centre acknowledged the problem, it reiterated that "urban poverty alleviation" is a subject under the jurisdiction of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

For Jammu & Kashmir, the figure means that more than ten thousand m...