New Delhi, Sep 10 - India is committed to providing affordable housing to the urban poor despite problems in acquiring land and getting money, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja said here Thursday.

'The government will provide its full cooperation and support to encourage, guide and strengthen the efforts to make affordable housing for all a reality,' Selja said after inaugurating a conference on affordable housing for the urban poor.

'Finding land in our bursting metropolises to house the growing number of urban poor is probably one of the greatest challenges that our city planners face. Innovative solutions are the need of the hour,' she said.

She said the government is committed to the cause and also urged the private sector to come forward to take up housing programmes for the poor and low-income groups.

Selja, who is also the minister for tourism, said India's real estate market is 'unorganized and fragmented and most of property transactions are based on certain perceptions and not necessarily on the sound business principles'.

In this direction, she said the government is planning a real estate regulation bill, which aims to provide guidelines to facilitate growth and promotion of healthy, transparent, efficient and competitive real estate sector.