Govt Plans To Cut House-Building Time To Months, Launches Global Challenge

Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on January 14 launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) for developers and research companies across the world ─ a move aimed at introducing best technologies that seek to construct houses in a shorter period of time while keeping the cost lower. Through the initiative launched under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), the government will hold an expo-cum-conference in March where stakeholders will showcase their best technologies to build houses. Developers can opt for identified technologies for timely delivery of their projects.

The PMAY-U, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015, aims to construct more than one crore houses and ensure Housing for All by 2022 by providing financial assistance to the beneficiaries. The ministry has so far sanctioned around 68.5 lakh units for construction under the PMAY (U). Around 15 lakh houses have been handed over to beneficiaries.

Speaking at an event which also saw launch of GHTC websites and mobile app, the housing and urban affairs minister emphasised that there was a need to look for new emerging, disaster-resilient, environment friendly, cost-effective and speedy construction technologies. He called for a paradigm shift in technology transition using large-scale construction under the PMAY-U as an opportunity to get the best available construction technologies across the globe.

The technologies identified at the March conference will be implemented on a pilot basis to see the results. The government plans to source technologies from all over the world, and identify those that would be best suited for adoption in India.

NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant, who was also present at the event, said that the time frame for construction of houses in the country must be reduced to four-to-five months.

With inputs from Housing.com