In a move that could benefit thousands of migrants entering Mumbai each year, 200,000 rental homes will be constructed in Thane and Raigad, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) announced here Friday.

'We have cleared a total of over 3.4 million square metres of land for the purpose and six developers have been granted permission for the construction,' said MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.

The rental homes - each measuring 160-square feet with attached facilities - will come up at Majiwade, Panchpakhadi, Chitalsar-Manpada and Naupada, Mahajanwadi and Shahad - all in Thane district.

The homes shall be available on an affordable rent of between Rs.800-1,500 per month.

The names of rental housing schemes proposed in Raigad have not yet been announced.

'The chief objective is to make available a stock of affordable housing in the Mumbai metropolitan area for those seeking financial security, especially the poor sections,' Gaikwad said.

MMRDA will construct or procure 500,000 self-contained units soon within the region in tune with the state housing policy.

He added that the rental housing scheme has been identified as a 'vital public purpose' project under the slum prevention programme.

The government has stipulated certain eligibility criteria, including a minimum monthly family income of Rs.5,000 and continuous stay of 15 years in Maharashtra. Also, the allottee must not own any house in the MMRDA region and the allotment will be jointly with the spouse if the applicant is married.