Credai pushes for land reforms, digital registry, and land banks to drive housing growth
At Natcon Singapore, Credai has called for creating 100 ‘cities of tomorrow’ and pushing reforms, green development, skilling, and digitalisation
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) has called for comprehensive land reforms, including conclusive land titling through a Land Titling Act and the creation of a unified national digital land register to enhance transparency and accessibility.
It also urged the development of land banks to promote affordable housing and emphasised the planned creation of 100 ‘cities of tomorrow.’
Unveiling its report, The National Real Estate Development Framework – Vision 2047, at its annual conference in Singapore, Credai highlighted the need for land reforms, digitalization of approvals, skill development, and the creation of future-ready cities to drive the sector’s growth.
Credai said there is a need to ensure conclusive land titling through the Land Titling Act. It also stressed the need to create a unified national digital land register to enhance transparency and accessibility.
“The real estate and construction sector will be one of the foremost drivers of this journey. The sector contributes nearly 15% to GDP, supports millions of livelihoods, and shapes the quality of life in both urban and rural India,” Credai president Shekhar Patel said.
“The future of Indian real estate is not just about creating buildings, but about building communities, livelihoods, and aspirations,” he pointed out, describing the report as both a vision document and a call to action.
The report highlighted that by 2047, India aims to achieve 100% housing accessibility, emerge as a hub for con-tech and prop-tech innovation, and become the world’s top-ranked nation in ease of doing construction.
CREDAI suggests nine pillars of reform
The National Real Estate Development Framework under Credai Viksit Bharat 2047 rests on nine key reform pillars, spanning land reforms, financing, redevelopment, sustainability, skill development, and ease of living.
Among the priorities are the creation of 100 new ‘cities of tomorrow’ through structured urban expansion and the introduction of purpose-based zoning to accommodate affordable housing, rental units, and residences for students and senior citizens. The framework also advocates comprehensive, citywide slum redevelopment, rather than project-level interventions.
Sustainability is central, with an emphasis on net-zero buildings and pilot green townships led by the private sector. In parallel, CREDAI highlights the need for workforce upskilling and reforms to ensure the labour cess directly benefits on-site workers.
“The future of Indian real estate is not just about creating buildings but about building communities, livelihoods, and aspirations,” Patel said.
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Addressing high costs and tax burden
The report also draws attention to the excessive tax burden on housing, where the effective tax incidence ranges between 35% and 39%, on par with petroleum and alcohol.
Credai argues that this imbalance makes affordable housing financially unviable, despite being a national priority. “Housing, despite being a critical social and economic sector, is taxed at par with petroleum products, which is counterproductive to the government’s goal of housing for all,” the report states
Green push, slum redevelopment, and skilling
The report stressed the importance of slum redevelopment and green building adoption to make cities inclusive and sustainable. It also highlighted the role of technology integration, ranging from construction innovations to customer relationship management.
On workforce development, Credai identified skill-building and labour welfare as a critical pillar, advocating trade-specific training infrastructure, state-led demand assessments, and reforms in labour cess utilisation so that benefits flow directly to on-site workers.
“The final pillar, ease of living, promotes celebrating cultural uniqueness and heritage in all major urban centres, advancing citizen-driven governance models, and incorporating climate resilience into urban infrastructure,” the report said.
To ensure execution, Credai proposed a three-tier implementation mechanism, establishment of high-level committees at the Prime Minister's level, state-level war rooms, and a phased implementation plan.
“Together, these pillars chart a path toward a transparent, sustainable, inclusive, and technologically advanced real estate and urban development ecosystem fit for India’s ambitious future,” the Association said.
The author is in Singapore at the invitation of Credai
