IJSRST18454 |Received:10March 2018 | Accepted :18March2018 | March-April-2018 [(4)5 : 468-480] © 2018 IJSRST | Volume 4 | Issue 5| Print ISSN: 2395-6011 | Online ISSN: 2395-602X Themed Section: Scienceand Technology 468 Critical Evaluation of Housing Scenario in India Yogesh M. Keskar 1 , Binayak Choudhury 2 , Nikhil Ranjan Mandal 3 1 PhD Research Scholar, School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal & Assistant Professor-Planning, College of Engineering, Pune, India 2 Professor, Department of Planning, Dean Academics, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal , India 3 Professor, and Head of Department of Planning, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal , India ABSTRACT Housing in India occupies a preeminent position in the country‟s development trajectory and reflects the socio- economic blend of its people. The housing sector has strong backward and forward linkages to over 250 ancillary industries. After agriculture, housing and real estate industry is the second largest employment generator in India. This review paper, tries to focus on various issues and challenges of Indian housing market and affordable housing segment, preceded by a study of various definitions of affordable housing, housing finance in India, various initiatives taken by Government of India through various five years plans and concludes various efforts are required in the development of affordable housing through a multipronged strategy. Keywords : Housing In India, Affordable Housing, Housing Finance I. INTRODUCTION Housing in India varies greatly and reflects the socio- economic mix of its vast population. With continuing urban societal changes, there are a growing number of nuclear families, in which each couple needs its own house after marriage. The housing sector has strong backward and forward linkages to over 250 ancillary industries. After agriculture, housing and real estate industry is the second largest employment generator in India. It is estimated that the construction sector provides direct employment to 16 per cent of the country‟s workforce, which is growing at a rate of seven per cent per annum. In India, residential housing accounts for almost 80 per cent of the real estate market in terms of volume and has been growing at 30 to 35 per cent annually. Total residential unit launches stood at around 108,200. (KPMG Cushman and Wakefield, Knight Frank, CRISIL) At the advent of the 21st Century (2001), housing stock in India stood at 50.95 million for 55.8 million urban households. A significant segment of this housing stock was characterized by congestion and obsolescence. Congestion is particularly acute in inner city slums and peripheral slums. According to the Census 2011, 65 million persons or 31.16% of the urban population resides in slums. The quality of housing stock in slums is extremely poor. An important reason for this is insecurity of tenure. Slums are also severely deficient in basic services such as potable water, sanitation, sewerage, storm water drainage and solid waste disposal. In order to improve the quality of life in urban areas, it is of critical significance that the housing stock is improved through urban renewal, in situ slum improvement and development of new housing stock in existing cities as well as in new townships. Further, the enhancement of housing stock must be accompanied with high quality provision of basic services. It is a well-established fact that safe, hygienic and spacious provisioning of housing duly buttressed with adequate basic services and a congenial habitat promotes significant improvement in productivity of workers.