Construction Industry News
Covid-19 has exposed the magnitude of the housing crisis. Millions of families have already struggled with unhealthy living conditions, lack of access to clean water and unaffordable rent. They are now joined by millions of others living in poor housing conditions as a result of the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.
In the words of Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on justice on housing, "Housing has become the frontline of defense against the coronavirus."
Globally, an estimated 1.6 billion people already live without adequate shelter. In India, more than 78 million people live in poor housing conditions. The former Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Reduction (MoHUPA) in India had established a 2012-17 Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage (TG-12), which had estimated the urban housing shortage in India at 18.78 million units for the period 2007- 12. Nearly 89% of slum dwellers remain outside the domain of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna - Urban (PMAY-U) as people living in informal settlements do not have clear land titles and this is one of the requirements under the beneficiary-led vertical construction of PMAY-U.
The main cause of inadequate housing is systemic inequality. Stressors and shocks such as climate change, pandemics, humanitarian crises, migration and urbanization exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, housing does not appear as an exclusive category. As a result, despite being considered a basic human need, housing has always been in the pecking order compared to other social issues when it comes to CSR.
By making housing an exclusive category , the CSR Act becomes more holistic and accelerates efforts to make housing possible for all. Because a decent place to live is the foundation for families to build a better future.
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