PM asks private sector to help government’s housing scheme

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to the private sector to help his government meet the goal of providing proper housing for every citizen by 2022.

Addressing the Construction Technology India Event 2019, Modi emphasized the government's commitment to ensure that every family's dream of a home becomes a reality.

Referring to 1.3 crore houses built in the last four-and-a-half-year compared to 25 lakh houses constructed by the previous UPA government, Modi said the Central government was also making things easier for people to buy houses through tax and other incentives.

"A lot of emphasis has been placed on affordable housing, real estate sector, skill development and housing technology. My dream is that every Indian should have a proper house by 2022. I seek the support of private sector. Let us work together to help the poorest of poor."

He said that elements from several schemes like PM Awas Yojana, HRIDAY and AMRUT were also oriented towards transforming the housing sector.

The Prime Minister said that the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) had improved consumers' confidence in developers and brought transparency in the real estate sector.

Giving example of construction technology used in tents at the ongoing Kumbh in Prayagraj, Modi stressed the need for housing technology in the light of rapid urbanization.

"If makeshift arrangements (at Kumbh) can be made so good, permanent arrangement will be expectedly extremely much better."

The Prime Minister said a large pool of skilled human resource had been created, especially in the rural areas, and that there was much greater focus on disaster-resilience, energy efficiency and local innovation in the construction sector.

He also declared that the period from April 2019 to March 2020 will be observed as the Construction Technology Year.