Access to adequate housing is a global challenge growing fast with urbanization. Around one quarter of the world’s urban population continues to live in slums and informal settlements. An increasing number of urban dwellers, especially the poor and vulnerable groups (women, migrants, persons with disabilities and HIV, elder, youth and LGBT) are living in precarious conditions, addressing their housing needs informally, lacking access to basic services and living space, isolated from livelihood opportunities and vulnerable to forced evictions or homelessness. In this context, the United Nations, which has designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day, has chosen the theme for World Habitat Day 2017 as ‘Housing Policies: Affordable Homes’. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns through appropriate policies, programmes and actions.
India estimated its housing shortage to stand at 18.78 million units and the private sector delivery as well as the launch of ambitious government-led programmed such as PMAY with an enormous challenge remains. The affordability gap created by income inequality as well as an exclusive housing finance system prevents the majority of the urban poor from accessing affordable housing and also accessibility to affordable finance for the weaker sections of the society.
On the other hand, the purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of a country’s towns and cities and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns through appropriate policies and programmed and UN-Habitat estimates by 2030 that an additional 3 billion people about 40 per cent of the world’s population will need access to adequate housing. So that the majority of national and local governments are still struggling to meet the housing needs of their respective populations. More over, adequate housing has been recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in international instruments including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.