Global Housing Construction Tech Challenge: Centre plans outreach programme

The Union housing ministry plans a "massive dissemination and outreach" programme for the Global Housing Construction Technology Challenge, it set to launch for building affordable and sustainable houses in the country, an official said.
The initiative aims to give a major push to construction of houses for the urban poor under the Centre's flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
The Centre will invite companies from across the world to showcase their construction techniques under the 'Global Housing Construction Technology Challenge', the official said, adding the technologies selected would be used for building houses under the PMAY(U) scheme.
The ministry targets to construct 1.2 crore houses under the scheme in a bid to provide houses to all urban poor by 2022. So far, nearly 40 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the scheme.

"We are going for massive dissemination and outreach programme. We will inform all countries, all associations and business bodies about the competition. We are in the process of finalising it. In the next two to three months, we will come up with a full-fledged programme," the official said.
He said the competitors would be required to demonstrate construction of houses at a minimum cost in minimum duration, keeping Indian requirements in mind.