Context

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC), to make the construction cost effective as well as innovative.

About

• The goal of GHTC is to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of constructing 1.2 crore houses by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban).
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) Mission is to provide all weather “pucca” houses to eligible beneficiaries.

 

Need

• Against the validated demand of about one crore housing units to be constructed by the year 2022, MoHUA has so far sanctioned around 70 lakh houses, out of which around 37 lakh have been grounded and around 15 lakh completed and allotted to beneficiaries.
• Conventional system of housing construction is time consuming as well as resource intensive, Shri Puri emphasised that there is a need to look for new emerging, disaster-resilient, environment friendly, cost effective and speedy construction technologies
• Conventional construction systems (such as the use of brick and mortar) are slow paced, energy intensive, dependent on natural resources and have large carbon footprint.
• They use low levels of mechanization and have high dependence on manual labour.

Aim

• GHTC- India intends to get best globally available innovative construction technologies through a challenge process.
• It seeks to demonstrate and deliver ready to live-in houses in a shorter time, with lower cost and quality construction in a sustainable manner.
• It also seeks to promote future technologies, to foster an environment of research and development in the country.

Components of the challenge

• GHTC-India has been conceptualized to enable the paradigm shift required in the construction sector in the country. GHTC-India will bring change, both in the perception as well as the manner in which construction of houses is done. The challenge has three components viz.

1. Conduct of Grand Expo-cum-Conference,
2. Identifying Proven Demonstrable Technologies from across the world and

• Promoting Potential Technologies through setting up incubation centres at selected IITs and

1. Organizing accelerator workshops under the Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators- India (ASHA-India) Program.

Uses and Advantages of innovative technologies over conventional technology

1. Conservation of natural resources
2. Bringing speed in construction
3. Utilization of industrial and construction demolition waste
4. Reduction in air and noise pollution
5. Optimum use of water
6. Increased labour productivity
7. Cost reduction
8. Safe and disaster resilient house
9. All weather site execution

Who can participate in the challenge?

• All stakeholders involved in building construction industry, technology providers, construction agencies, developers and technical institutes would participate in the Challenge.
• Other Stakeholders such as academia, students of technical institutes, technologists, engineers, architects, Research and Development (R&D) institutes, government agencies including housing boards & state Public Works Department (PWDs), developers, entrepreneurs etc. will be invited to participate as delegates.

Significance

• The initiative calls for a paradigm shift in technology transition using large scale construction under PMAY (U) as an opportunity to get the best available construction technologies across the globe.
• Such a technology transition aligns well with the vision of New India 2022. This will bring the country at par with the advanced economies of the world and their rigorous standards in the construction sector.