Nepal, March 2 -- According to the national Census held in 2011 in India, metropolitan Kolkata is home to over 14 million people. Once the capital city of India, today over 30 per cent of the city's inhabitants are slum dwellers. In Kolkata, lack of affordable housing has pushed many to informal settlements called bastis. Migrant labourers and low-income families often settle in slums, where they live in highly unhygienic and overcrowded conditions. While they provide access to the city's centre, and perhaps even to an income, they lack in basic provisions such as adequate sanitary facilities, clean and potable water, and electricity.

Over the years, both central and state governments have launched multiple programmes and policies to fac...