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THEME PAPER

INCLUDING THE URBAN POOR IN INDIA THROUGH

SUPPLY-SIDE INTERVENTIONS FOR SELF-BUILT HOUSING

MS. BANASHREE Self-built housing is tailor made owned by them. Thus, it
to household requirements and
supports a process, which
BANERJEE is responsive to the affordability is by far the most prevalent
of even the poorest households. form of building among
It’s scale far surpasses supply- the poor and even middle
driven public and private income households. Self-
affordable housing solutions, built housing, also known
and its popularity and feasibility variously as incremental
“Self-built housing is have been amply demonstrated housing, self-construction
tailor made to household through the implementation of and home improvement, has
made available a large stock
the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
requirements and (PMAY). There is a strong case of affordable housing in all
is responsive to the for continuing government class size of urban areas in
affordability of even the support to incremental housing India and across the world.
poorest households and to realise its full potential. Based
fulfils the need for the supply on experience from India and Millions of low-income
of lowincome housing.” elsewhere, this paper discusses people build their homes and
how the remit of government neighbourhoods, often to
interventions can be expanded in surprisingly high standards,
diverse ways towards achieving with assistance from building
greater scale, equity, quality workers at a scale which
and sustainability of self- has not been matched by
built housing, thereby moving the efforts of government or
towards the goal of ‘leaving no organised private sector. Such
one behind’. housing is invariably built
incrementally as and when the
CASE FOR SUPPORTING need arises, or funds become
SELF-BUILT HOUSING available. Low-income
Key Words: Self-built housing, land
tenure security, informal sector, Micro The Beneficiary Led families are spending hard-
finance, PMAY-BLC. Construction (BLC) earned money, adding rooms
component of Pradhan and toilets or a second floor to
Ms. Banashree Banerjee (banashree. Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban their single-story dwellings,
banerjee@gmail.com) is a Housing retrofitting their homes and
and urban planning consultant; and (PMAY-U) scheme of the changing temporary roofs to
affiliated with Institute for Housing Government of India makes permanent ones. Not only is
and Urban Development Studies (IHS), subsidy available to poor this way of building a method
Rotterdam as Senior Housing and households to construct or of achieving affordability
Urban Management Expert. improve houses on plots
and social equity, but it also

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October, 2022, Volume 23. No.2 - SHELTER 17
olume 23. No.2 -
, 2022, V