He said that around 50 per cent of Mumbai population lives in slums and in Delhi, almost 84 percent of the homeless people are self-employed and contribute towards the economic growth.

"Since they live close to their workplaces and are an integral part of India's urbanisation story, irrespective of the location categories, we need to create affordable housing even in the premium locations of the mega-cities. It is required to bring these service providers nearer to the service consumers," Maken said.