Can FDI ease India’s housing crisis?
As the government encourages foreign investment in the construction sector, some say this will not serve the poor.
In an ambitious move, India’s new government has promised housing for all within the next eight years.
To make homes more affordable, they are encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) in construction by allowing companies to invest in smaller projects with less money.
But advocates for the urban poor, like Rajesh Kumar, say the initiative will do little to ease the housing crisis.
India needs to construct up to 50 million units by 2028, but even if these homes are built, slum residents may never be able to buy them at market rates.
So can poor communities afford to live in the houses they will build? Al Jazeera’s Karishma Vyas reports from India.