Government of India Launches Global Housing Technology Challenge to Seek Alternative and Innovative Solutions for Affordable Housing

To make constructing affordable houses in India cost-effective, speedier and of high quality, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge - India (GHTC-India) on January 14, 2019, in New Delhi. The aim of the initiative is to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of constructing 10 million urban homes by 2022.

At the event, WRI India signed an MoU to work as the primary knowledge partner to GHTC-India. WRI India has been the primary knowledge provider from the inception of the challenge and will manage the accelerator program for Potential Technologies in India.

Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog; Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs; Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary and Mission Director of Housing for All Mission; OP Agarwal, CEO of WRI India; Angeliki Rigos, MIT Energy Initiative, Tata Center for Technology and Design; senior officers of the Ministry; and various stakeholders in the construction industry were present at the launch, besides all major media houses

This event prompted a call to construction technology providers from across to globe to apply and participate in the expo and challenge. Through the application process, GHTC-India envisions to source emerging, disaster-resilient, environment friendly, cost-effective and speedy construction technologies from all over the world and identify those that would be suitable for adoption in India. Selected technologies will have the opportunity to directly work with the Ministry of Housing and the state governments to help India meet its ambitious goal.

The challenge has three components:

1. Conducting a Grand Expo-cum-Conference, on March 2^nd and 3^rd this year. This will be a unique platform for various stakeholders to engage in knowledge and business exchanges.
2. Identifying Proven Demonstrable Technologies from across the world that can replace and be an alternative to conventional energy and resource intensive brick and mortar construction; and have the opportunity through this challenge to design and build over 1,000 houses each in over six locations across India
3. Promoting Potential Technologies through setting up incubation centers at selected IITs and organizing accelerator workshops conducted by WRI India in partnership with the Building Materials Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) under the Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators- India (ASHA-India) Program.

Minister Hardeep Singh Puri called for a paradigm shift in technology transition using large-scale construction as an opportunity to look for new emerging, disaster-resilient, environment friendly, cost effective and speedy construction technologies. “I believe this whole process of GHTC-India challenge is a well-conceptualized and designed program to bring out the most innovative, simple, effective and appropriate solutions for making housing available and affordable to the common man,” he said.

Addressing the audience, CEO WRI India OP Agarwal said: "India has 16 percent of the world’s population but only 2 percent of the world's land mass. The country must manage its limited pool of resources judiciously. With GHTC-India, WRI India hopes to see modern technologies playing a key role in bringing quality affordable housing for the country's urban poor."

GHTC-India calls out to technology providers from across the globe to participate in the expo and revolutionize the affordable housing construction sector in the country.

Learn more about the Global Housing Technology Challenge - India at www.ghtc-india.gov.in.