Quest of Neoliberal Housing Policies in India

Ashish Kelkar

Abstract: In a developing country like India, which has a high percentage of growing urban population, housing demand keeps on increasing every year due to migration from rural areas and lack of family planning in both rural and urban areas. In 2023, the urban population in India was 36.6%, compared to 31.16% in 2011. That is almost a 5% increase in a decade, which is quite alarming. India has a mix of populations that is divided into different socio-economic classes, from the economically weaker section (EWS) of society to the higher income groups (HIG). According to the McKinsey Global Institute report, a 56.18% shortfall is predicted for EWS housing compared to only 4.38% for HIG. There have been many housing policies and programs in India since independence, and they are continuously in a developing stage. In the beginning, India became predominantly a socialist country and started following capitalism after the economic crisis of the 1990s that paved the way for neoliberal policies. This study helps to understand the transitional journey of neoliberal policies for housing, where the government was seen more as a facilitator rather than a provider. The research gives emphasis to the role of effective public participation in implementing neoliberal housing policies. The research methodology used in this research was content analysis, coupled with a case study of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). Thus, the aim of the research is to critically evaluate neoliberal housing policies in India and their future directions for the upward mobility of the informal settlement communities using an effective community participatory framework.

Keywords: Urban Population, Migration, Neoliberal policies, Housing, Informal settlements