A Study of Rural Housing Schemes in Chittoor District

Housing is one of the basic necessities of human life, besides food and clothing. Housing is an important constituent of the quality of life. Lack of proper housing is considered an indication of social poverty. Majority of the families in Afro-Asian countries live in semi Pucca or kutcha houses and India is no exception. The demand for housing has been tremendously increasing due to alarming rise in the population on one side and collapse of kutcha house(thatched) due to lack of proper maintenance and natural hazards an the other. Keeping in view the serious implications of the social poverty and the overall human development, the united nations declared 1987 as the ¿International Year of Shelter for the Homeless¿. As a result, many countries have considered housing is one of the prime concerns in their national agenda. India being a welfare state has been making concerted planned efforts towards alleviation of economic and social poverty since the starting of the First Five Year Plan. However, the commitment of both Central and State Governments to provide shelter for shelter less families has not been consistent due to lack of political commitment.