India's Housing Paradox: Bold Policy Vision Meets Bureaucratic Inertia

NITI Aayog dropped a potential game-changer this week: India could unlock nearly 10 million vacant homes and put excess PSU land to work for affordable housing. Former cabinet secretary and NITI Aayog member Rajeev Gauba pointed out that land accounts for 50-70% of total housing project costs—calling on states to waive land-use change fees and exempt stamp duty for affordable housing transactions. With India's urban population projected to surge from 500 million to **900...