Housing for the poor and low-income households in urban India has failed to keep up with our rapid urbanization. The government estimates a shortage of more than 18 million houses, primarily among the EWS and the LIG (economically weaker sections and low-income groups). We estimate that even among urban low-income families, with a monthly household income of between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000, a large proportion are living in cramped, substandard housing with limited access to civic amenities; often it is rented accommodation. We estimate there is a need to create 15 million houses for this group.

The government has been using multiple approaches to bridge the housing gap- constructing houses, upgrading slums, rehabilitating slums, mandating private sector projects to have reservations for EWS/LIG housing, etc. Unfortunately, the housing created through these approaches has not been able to meet the need and there is a growing interest and need to involve the private sector to help bridge the gap.