India okays low-cost slum housing plan

India has approved an ambitious plan to provide low-cost housing — and, perhaps more importantly, property rights — to millions of slum dwellers, reports the BBC.

The plan is expected to benefit 32 million people in 250 cities, the news channel said.

The first phase of the scheme has already been given the green light by the prime minister's cabinet. Named Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the scheme will provide funds for the states to build housing for slum dwellers, provided they are granted property rights.

The government has also announced setting up a $222 million fund to facilitate lending to urban poor for housing purposes, the BBC said. Critics, however, say the scheme is unlikely to benefit the hundreds of millions of people who live on less than 20 rupees (50 US cents) a day.