Reforming Land Policies Can Boost Housing Affordability: Niti Aayog
Representative AI image NEW DELHI: Rajiv Gauba, a member of Niti Aayog, highlighted significant challenges in housing development due to land constraints. He called for comprehensive reforms to reduce land costs. “We should allocate a minimum of 10% of residential land for affordable housing in our master plans, increase permissible FARs (Floor Area Ratios) from the current 2-3 to 5-6, promote transit-oriented development, and adopt land pooling. These strategies will help reduce land costs and increase housing supply,” he stated. Currently, land accounts for 50-70% of total project costs, which is notably higher than in similar infrastructure sectors. Gauba made…