Synopsis Slums are dangerous both for slum dwellers as well as the population of the city where slums are located. Cities are engines of growth and slum dwellers are integral and essential participants in its development. Hence, they need to be included in the mainstream of the society by increasing their productivity and decreasing the inequality in society. Therefore, the slums are part of urban life; hence urban local bodies should spare no efforts to eradicate it. A good environment is key to development. The present book is an outcome of a study, which was conducted by the authors. The study further has been converted into a book, wherein an attempt has been made on the issues of slum improvement. The research methodology is based on study of literature, personal visits to a large number of urban local bodies, personal discussions with various officers/functionaries research studies conducted by the authors and personal experience as citizens. The authors have also acted as trainers in many programmes of executive development of the officers of the local self-government. Such opportunities provided intimate relationships, which led to know the real issues faced by urban local bodies. The chapters are supplemented with charts, tables, graphs and case studies to make the reading interesting and comprehensible. A special feature of this book is that it deals with the slum improvement issues, while it engages itself in emerging areas like training, implementation of poverty alleviation programmes, urban slums, urban health, urban poverty and women's empowerment, in the urban local bodies. The book provides concrete suggestions and do not merely describe the slums. It is hoped that this book would be useful to the scholars of urban local self-government and especially to those who are engaged in planning, policy-making and decision-making about slum improvement programmes.