Housing is essential for providing all members of society with shelter. Historically, the poor have lacked access to good housing conditions, but public pressure in the 19th-20th centuries led authorities to take responsibility for providing social and public housing options. Housing plays an important economic and social role by contributing to national income and employment, and promoting community health and welfare. It is also a basic human need, providing protection from threats. As civilization has advanced, standards and expectations of housing have increased to include facilities like electricity and plumbing. India faces a severe shortage of affordable urban housing, estimated to grow to over 26 million units by 2012, affecting mostly the economically weaker sections. The government is taking measures to address this shortage.

1. HOUSING
Housing generally refers to the social problem of ensuring that members of
society have a home in which to live, whether this is a house, or some other
kind of dwelling, lodging , or shelter.
 As a matter of fact , the poor class of people is not allowed the benefit of
good housing from time immemorial.
 Such unhealthy and ugly scenes of houses for the unfortunate led to the
awakening of public opinion in the nineteenth and twentieth century and
because of the pressure of public opinion, the authorities concerned
have accepted the responsibility of providing good housing to those
who are economically unable to provide for themselves.

2.  Public housing may be a form of housing tenure in which the property is
owned by a government authority, which may be central or local.
 Social housing is an term referring to rental housing which may be owned
and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination
of the two, usually with the aim of providing affordable housing .
 The good housing reflects the general welfare of the community.
On the other hand bad housing leads to serious consequences such as
diseases, immorality etc.

3. IMPORTANCE OF HOUSING:
 A house is defined by the national Building Organization as a pucca
or semi-pucca unit of dwelling an average household.
 The houses are useful in various ways. A house is a part and parcel of
man’s life and substantial part of man’s life-time is spent in his house.
 The economic significance of housing is also very significant.
 It contributes to national income, national wealth and national employment.
 It also serves as a good source of revenue for Central, State and
Local Governments.
 In general, it can be stated that the housing has potentiality to a great
extent in promoting human welfare, social life, economic growth
health of community and various other related aspects of human life.

4. NEED OF HOUSING
 Housing is a basic need of man. In importance it is third after food and
clothing.
 The importance of housing was universally accepted from the dawn of
history. Even the neolithic man who lived between 10,000 and 2000 B.C.
built durable habitation.
 Primitive men sought some kind of protection against wild animals and
natural calamities. Housing protection is also sought against enemies
as well.
 When the institutions of the private property came to be
recognized housing received a big boom in the investment sector.

5.  With the development of knowledge and the advancement of civilization,
people became particular about sanitation, environment, privacy, location
of house, etc.
 He becomes more conscious of better facilities, which make his life easy
and very comfortable.
 With the invention of electricity and other facilities, the development
of housing became more important. Then man began to bring electricity
toilet, bath, washbasin etc within the walls of the house.
 A house becomes useful in various ways. As per the available information
man spends a good part of his lifetime in his house.

6.  Housing shortage is perhaps one of the most formidable challenges
before the Government of India. It is estimated that there was a shortage
of 10.56 million houses in 2001 in the urban areas alone.
 And by the beginning of the Eleventh Five Year Plan, i.e 2007,
this shortage sharply escalated to 24.71 millions.
 Now, it is estimated by the government officials that the shortage in urban
housing will grow even higher to 26.53 million units by the year 2012.
 Further, ninety nine percent of this shortage pertains to the economically
weaker sections and low income groups.
 The Government is taking various kinds of direct and indirect measures
to ease out the acute shortage of houses, like operation of
Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, income tax relief
on house loan repayment etc.