The world’s biggest concern today is the burden of fast increasing population, as the Malthusian Theory on population growth is visibly proving to be so true. With around 7.55 billion people presently living on the face of the earth, the habitable land on the globe is already overpopulated and density is increasing in terms of Persons/Sq.KM. By the year 2050, the world population is projected at 9.726 billion, with more than half ((54%) being Asians or one out of two people on the planet Earth.
This burden of population, among many other things, is greatly disturbing the people’s basic right to live respectfully and in a decent habitat. Among the basic social needs i.e., food, clothing, and shelter need for a shelter is most critical among the three basic social needs. While a beggar would ask for food, and a very poor for clothes, decent housing is needed for all segments of the population and becomes quite a challenge for economically weaker segments of the society. Providing the basic social needs, i.e., Food, Clothing, and Shelter, is the primary responsibility of the State, more so for low-income segments of society and people at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP). Providing a decent shelter and habitat is the role and responsibility of the people, the society, and the state, and as we move down from the top to the bottom of the pyramid, affordability decreases and so it increasingly becomes more a role of the State. The rate at which the world population is growing, and the supply and availability of housing have no match with the unmet and growing demand.