2. LITERATURE REVIEW: Building Codes, Rating Systems, And Sustainability
2.2. Building Codes, Standards, And Policies
2.2.1. Overview Of Housing Policies And Other Reforms
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is entrusted with the broad policy formulation, administration, and monitoring of the various schemes relating to the nation's housing and urban development. The development of cities is a state responsibility, and the Constitution (Seventy- fourth) Amendment Act of 1992 assigned several duties to urban municipal governments (MoHUA, 2017). On the other hand, the Government of India coordinates and monitors numerous urban housing projects, urban livelihood missions, and overall urban development through Central and Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The Ministry promotes urban challenges through practical
policy guidelines, subordinate legislation, and sectoral programs (MoHUA, 2017). This section outlines the primary housing policies/schemes launched by the Government of India, which formulates the housing sector.
Figure 2.2 The Governance Structure For The Housing Sector.
Figure 2.3 The Governance Structure For The Energy Sector
Figure 2.4 Governance Structure of India
The Ministry of housing and urban affairs announced the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in 2005 as the first flagship scheme of this Ministry. JnNURM implemented by
has two components, e.g., Basic Services for Urban poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP), intended to develop slums through projects (MoHUPA, 2015). The Mission was initially for seven years, i.e., up to March 2012, which was extended to March 2014 to complete the already approved projects. In March 2013, the Mission period was extended by one more year, i.e., up to March 2015, to complete ongoing works (MoHUPA, 2015).
In 2007, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation announced the National Urban Housing & Habitat Policy, which aims to encourage various forms of public-private partnerships to achieve the objective of "Affordable Housing for All," with a focus on the urban poor. The Policy aims to encourage sustainable habitat development in the country to provide an equal supply of land, shelter, and services at affordable rates to all segments of society (MoHUA, 2007).
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) was introduced by MoHUA, and launched in June 2015, ensuring housing for all in urban areas; it is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to provide 'Housing for All' by the end of the year 2022. The Mission offers Central Assistance to implementing agencies via States/Union Territories (U.T.s) and Central Nodal Agencies (C.N.A.s) to provide homes to all eligible families/beneficiaries with the verified housing need (MoHUA, 2015a). The dwellings built under the Mission shall be planned and constructed to fulfill the structural safety standards of the National Building Code and other applicable Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. The houses under the Mission should be designed and constructed to meet structural safety requirements conforming to the National Building Code and other relevant Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) codes (BIS, 2016).
The Government of India has established the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to improve the quality of life for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, by providing basic civic facilities such as water supply sewage, urban transit, and parks (MoHUA, 2014). Another project launched by the GoI in 2015 is the Smart City Mission, which supports sustainable and inclusive communities that offer basic infrastructure and good quality of life to their inhabitants, a clean and sustainable environment, and the use of 'Smart' Solutions (MoHUA, 2015b). The Mission will be implemented through four verticals, giving beneficiaries, U.L.B.s, and State Governments. The Government of India introduced the RERA
Act in 2016, with all the Act's provisions coming into effect in May 2017. Every state is accountable for establishing a Regulatory Authority (RERA), which will administer all the real estate sector's activity and regulate and promote the development of Real Estate in the country (MoHUA, 2016).
The Government of India, along with the governments of the respective states, has taken several initiatives to encourage development in the sector. Housing for all led to the development of several initiatives launched by GoI. A Technology Sub-mission under PMAY (2015) facilitates adopting modern, innovative, and green technologies and building materials for better quality and faster construction (MoHUA, 2015a). In 2017 the Government of India, for under-construction housing projects and to improvise the affordable housing sector, the goods and services tax rates were revised to 5% from the effective rate of 12% and from 8% to 1% (MoF, 2017).
The World Bank creates an ease of doing business index, with higher scores indicating better, typically more straightforward rules for firms and more significant property rights safeguards.
India climbed the ranks by making it simpler to do business in four of the report's ten areas of business regulation, including business incorporation, obtaining building permissions, resolving insolvency, and trade (World Bank, 2017). In 2017, the Government gave affordable housing infrastructure status, allowing these projects to benefit from reduced borrowing rates, tax breaks, and larger foreign and private money flows. Later in 2018, the Union cabinet approved the National Urban Housing Fund for Rs. 60,000 crores, situated in Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), to facilitate raising requisite funds for PMAY (MoHUA, 2015a). Table 2.1 below showcases initiatives in the housing sector.
Table 2.1 Initiatives Under The Housing Sector
Initiatives Year Information Remarks
Sub- technology mission under PMAY
2015 To encourage the use of contemporary, innovative, and environmentally friendly building materials and technologies to speed up and improve the quality of house construction. It will also make it easier to create and implement layout ideas and construction plans appropriate for diverse geo-climatic zones. It will also help states and cities implement disaster- resistant and environmentally friendly technology.
Ease of doing business
2017 India is now ranked 63rd from 183rd among 190 countries in the ease of doing business index. India ranks 27th in dealing with construction permits, 22nd in getting electricity, and 154th in registering property.
Reduction of G.S.T.
2017 To improvise the affordable housing sector, the Government of India cut the goods and services tax rates for under-construction housing projects to 5% from the effective rate of 12%
and from 8% to 1% for affordable housing projects.
Service Tax Exemptions will be continued in G.S.T. as decided by G.S.T. Council Services for works about the Housing for All (Urban) Mission/Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Infrastructure
Status to affordable housing
2017 The union budget was announced with Transform, Energies, and Clean India, geared towards infrastructure growth and poverty alleviation. The funding provided affordable housing with infrastructure status. The initiative will enable the affordable housing projects to avail themselves of the allied benefits such as lower borrowing rates, tax concessions, and increased foreign and private capital flow.
National Urban Housing Fund
2018 The Union Cabinet approved the creation of NUHF for Rs. 60,000 crores.
The fund situated In Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) will facilitate raising requisite funds until 2022 so that the flow of Central Assistance under different verticals of PMAY-U is maintained.