MoHUA Launches Global Housing Technology Challenge India

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Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has initiated Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) which aims to identify and mainstream globally best available proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient to enable a paradigm shift in affordable housing. Under this initiative, Light House Projects (LHPs) at six places in the country namely Indore (Madhya Pradesh); Rajkot (Gujarat); Chennai (Tamil Nadu); Ranchi (Jharkhand); Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) are being constructed using six distinct innovative technologies identified under GHTC-India. The LHPs comprise about 1000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities. These LHPs will demonstrate the merits of the world-class innovative construction technologies. These projects will demonstrate and deliver ready to live houses at an expedited pace within twelve months, as compared to conventional brick and mortar construction, and will be more economical, sustainable, of high quality and durability. LHPs showcase the best of new-age alternate global technology. This technology revolution is cost-effective, environment-friendly and promotes speedier construction. The initiative will prove to be a major push towards technical transformation in India. Foundation stones of all six LHPs were laid jointly by the Hon’ble Prime Minister remotely from Prime Minister’s Office through Video Conferencing and the respective Hon’ble Governors and Chief Ministers on January 1, 2021. Hon’ble Prime Minister during the event emphasised that these projects will be incubation centres and the technical professionals, planners, architects, engineers, students and professors of Engineering Colleges/ Technical Universities should visit the site to learn and experiment with new construction technologies and document the whole learning experience. The Ministry is promoting six Light House Projects (LHPs) as Live Laboratories for transfer of technology to the field which includes planning, design, production of components, construction practices and testing. The primary goal of making these LHPs as Live Laboratories is to encourage large scale citizen participation and create technical awareness for on-site learning, multi-stakeholders consultation, find ideas for solutions, learning by doing, experimentation and encouraging innovation, thereby mainstreaming the globally identified proven innovative technologies under GHTC-India in the Indian context. In this regard, an Enrolment Module for Technograhis was launched by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA, on February 16, 2021, through Video Conferencing in the presence of Shri Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary & Mission Director, HFA, PMAY(U), MoHUA. In addition, an E-Newsletter and Six State-Wise Booklets on LHPs were also launched at the event. All state/UT governments, officials Public/ Private agencies, Academic Institutions along with other stakeholders participated in the event. TECHNOGRAHIS - faculty and students of IITs, NITs, engineering colleges, planning and architecture colleges, builders, academicians, engineers and stakeholders - can register themselves to visit these Live Laboratories at six LHP sites for learning, consultation, generation of ideas and solutions, experimentation, innovation and technical awareness. This can enable the ‘Technograhis’ in adapting and adopting the technologies as per their requirements in the construction sector for a ‘Make in India’ approach. The Enrolment Module will also act as a database to engage the interested candidates throughout the year for different activities related to the Light House Projects and its information dissemination.