Housing Scenarios

Housing Scenario in India

Housing being one of the basic needs of human beings assumes multifaceted significance in terms of degree of economic well being and human development as well as socio-cultural progression and political stability. The development of satisfactory housing has always been the priority of both the central and state governments. A rapid rise in population results in higher demand of dwelling units for residential purposes. This coupled with the growth in household formation and increased urbanization in search of employment opportunities has resulted in severe pressure on urban infrastructure in recent years. The consequence has been overcrowding and unhealthy living environment, shortages of basic amenities and finally

Other important factors that have aggravated India’s critical housing situation include institutional deficiencies, especially among state and local housing agencies, and regulatory constraints to new housing development and investment such as the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act of 1976 and the State Rent Control Acts. In terms of the magnitude of the housing shortage, the Working Group on Housing has estimated the urban housing shortage at the beginning of Tenth Plan at 8.89 million units. While this is indeed an alarming number, it includes the ‘congestion’ needs of joint families, obsolescence and replacement of old houses, and upgrading of all the kutcha houses. The total number of houses required cumulatively during the Tenth Plan period is assessed at 22.44 million (Planning Commission

Provisional data relating to slums in the 2001 Census throw some light on the slum population. Nearly 28 million persons lived in the slums in 1981, accounting for 17.5 per cent of the urban population. The estimates for 1991 were 45.7 million slum dwellers accounting for 21.5 per cent of population. According to the 2001 Census, there are 40.6 million persons living in slums in 607 towns/cities, and they account for 22.8 per cent of the population of these cities (Planning Commission 2002). The health and environmental implications of households’ lack of access to potable water, sanitation facilities, adequate drainage, and proper solid waste collection and disposal services are overwhelming, especially for women and children who spend proportionally more time at home than men. It is estimated that nearly 25 percent of slum residents are home-based workers, mostly women. For these families, access to decent living conditions and basic urban infrastructure and services is extremely important, as they are primary factors of production as well as