Tag: Economic Survey 2025-26

CommercialLatest Stories

India’s REIT-Ready Office Stock Exceeds 415 Million Sq Ft

NEW DELHI: India’s commercial real estate sector is moving into a more institutional phase, as highlighted by the Economic Survey 2025-26. The report notes that over 415 million sq ft of office space in the top seven cities is now eligible for REITs, with the emergence of small and medium REITs (SM REITs) offering a regulated investment option for smaller real estate portfolios. The survey indicates that Bengaluru accounts for 32.6% of the total REIT-ready office stock, emphasizing the substantial number of income-generating commercial assets that remain outside of listed REIT platforms. Other significant contributors include Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad,…

Housing FinanceLatest Stories

Home loans surge nearly 4x to ₹37 lakh crore by March 2025

NEW DELHI: According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, housing finance has seen a significant expansion, with outstanding individual home loans increasing nearly fourfold to ₹37 lakh crore by the end of March 2025. The share of home loans in relation to GDP grew from 8% in 2015 to 11% in 2024-25, indicating robust growth in this sector. Post-COVID, housing sales have surged, further driving demand for home loans. The report states, “The ‘real estate and ownership of dwellings’ sector has contributed approximately 7% to annual GVA on average over the past decade, underscoring its critical role in services-led growth and…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Survey urges holistic rethink of development control rules

NEW DELHI: India’s urban areas are at a pivotal point, as highlighted by the Economic Survey 2025-26, which emphasizes that the nation’s urban narrative currently reflects an “unfinished promise.” To fully harness the capabilities of these “engines of growth,” the report advocates for a comprehensive reassessment of development control regulations (DCR) and a strategic overhaul in urban financing and governance. Central to this shift is the imperative to recognize cities as “critical economic infrastructure” rather than just living spaces. The survey points out a notable “governance deficit,” suggesting that while major global cities operate with autonomy, Indian cities often prioritize…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Wastewater Treatment Could Unlock ₹3.2 Lakh Crore Market by 2047

Representative AI image NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey 2025-26 highlights a new economic opportunity within India’s evolving urban environment: the circular water economy. Addressing the escalating freshwater scarcity, the survey contends that the conventional “use and dispose” model is untenable for a quickly urbanizing nation. It recommends a paradigm shift towards viewing wastewater as a vital urban resource, which has the potential to create a market valued between ₹2.4 lakh crore and ₹3.2 lakh crore by 2047. The report emphasizes that reusing Treated Used Water (TUW) for non-potable applications like industrial cooling, construction, and landscaping could lead to more than…

Latest StoriesResidential

Affordable housing drops to 17% in 2025: Economic Survey

NEW DELHI: The aspiration of homeownership is becoming increasingly out of reach for low-income groups in India, as the availability of affordable housing takes a significant downturn. The Economic Survey 2025-26 reveals that the percentage of affordable housing units, priced under ₹50 lakh, in India’s eight major cities plummeted from 52.4% in 2018 to a mere 17% by 2025. This substantial drop occurs amidst a forecast that demand for such housing will hit 30 million units by 2030. Currently, the overwhelming majority of this shortfall is among low-income groups, which represent 99% of the housing deficit in recent years. The…