India's real estate sector needs large funding, transformative infrastructure development, and supportive regulatory and policy mechanisms to achieve social and economic objectives.

For Indians, the most important form of social security is to own a house. It is a proxy for their social standing and prestige. But housing is expensive: realty in New Delhi and Mumbai is generally priced out of reach and remains mostly unsold. In India, there is a housing shortage, along with rising inventory and mostly bankrupt developers. Land, especially with basic infrastructure in place, remains a limited commodity.

Globally, many countries offer streamlined online processes and incentives to facilitate affordable housing - these can include tax deductions, density bonuses, direct subsidies, land grants, land use changes, and so on. The use of fee waivers and fast-track methods are tools adopted by some countries such as Malaysia to set administrative requirements. Hong Kong's 'smart regulator' programme merged eight procedures involving six different agencies and two private utilities into a one stop centre. Affordable housing can be boosted by establishing a green channel for approving low-cost housing projects. The National Building Code of 2005 needs to be revisited for low-cost housing norms, and automatic clearances for projects with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design/Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment certification should be ensured.

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