Can you imagine your own government pledging affordable housing for everyone in the country within a decade? Could such an undertaking be undertaken in that time frame, even in a modestly populated country? And yet India, one of the most populous countries in the world, made just such a pledge in 2015, aiming for completion of this monumental task by 2022 — less than ten years later.
Still, even the dreams of visionary leaders are brought to earth by practical problems. Work to provide housing for an enormous rural population is proceeding apace. But urban housing progress has been hampered by a serious problem — space for new housing in the teeming urban landscape of India’s cities.
Is there any solution? One bitter pill to swallow is being considered: sacrificing under- performing industries that are owned by the government in order to free up the space they occupy. Read more in the Economic Times: Government may use land of sick PSEs for affordable housing
