After storming the world with their ultra-cheap ‘people’s car’ Nano at around 1,770 euros

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($2,500), the Tatas are now all set to rollout ultra-cheap ‘people’s home’ at just 500 euros ($707).

While it was Tata Motors that had launched the Nano car, it is Tata Steel that is planning to come up with the 500 euros house, which can be built in just seven days using kit of parts on the spot.

Talking to reporters in Hyderabad on Friday, Sumitesh Das, Chief of Tata Steel’s Global Research Program, said, “The pilot for the 500 euros house is currently going on in West Bengal and we are going to roll out 30 more pilots this year. We will be rolling out these highly affordable homes by the year-end on a national scale.”

Das was in Hyderabad to participate in a conference on intellectual property management, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

He said their homes are not going to look like steel godowns since they consist of significant non-steel component as well. Tata Steel is currently in talks with several agencies including the coir board and jute board for wall cladding and other interiors. They are also in talks with various state governments that are taking up housing programs for the economically weaker sections.

Saying that the ultra-cheap homes project was mainly aimed at catering to the housing needs of homeless in the rural India, Das said what one needs to have is a just a patch of land and the Tata’s team will build a 20 square meter house with flat roof in just seven days for 500 euros.

Das said the consumer feedback from various regions of the country through the pilot projects will be analyzed before firming up various designs for the affordable homes. “When we did our first pilot project, we realized that people in the rural areas sit on their varandas (corridors). If we incorporate the varanda, the buying is much higher. Similarly, since families in the rural areas share the same roof with partitions, we will have to accommodate such needs in our designs.”

Tata Steel is also in talks with various manufacturers for setting up of facilities at various locations in the country, apart from integrators and village panchayats for the feedback. Das said localized manufacturing facilities help generate employment. “We will have the designs and the manufacturers will enter into MoUs with us for producing them locally,” he said.

For those with better affordability levels, Tatas plan to introduce variants in the ultra-cheap homes. While the basic model in 20 square meter area with flat roof comes at 500 euros, the upgraded model will come in 30 square meters costing around 700 euros, and for a solar panel on rooftop it will cost further.