India has over 6,64,000 villages—each one unique in the way it is shaped. A village
reflects the identity of its people—their culture, traditions, economy, art, craft, religion, skills, and belief systems.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten that even after massive government-led
public housing efforts—30 million houses under IAY, another 30 million under PMAY-G, and 20 million more announced in the recent Union Budget (2024-2029)—villages are still largely built by the people themselves. They are designed, funded, supervised, and often constructed by the community.

Today, with the growing dominance of urban narratives and the idea of cities as our
inevitable future, villages—though receiving investment in roads, electricity, irrigation,
and industry—are being neglected as human settlements. Their value as living, socio-cultural and spatial habitats is being overlooked.

Ironically, even well-intentioned interventions like government housing programs are contributing to the erosion of village character. Our villages are losing the very things that made them villages—their distinctiveness, their cohesion, their form.

Rural housing in India is more than just the provision of shelter—it is a deeply
embedded, multifaceted process that reflects the social, cultural, and ecological fabric of
village life. At its best, it has served as a manifestation of people’s aspirations, local
knowledge systems, community values, and sustainable practices.

This study project is a step towards revisiting and understanding that essence, at a time when large-scale housing programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) are reshaping the rural built environment.

Over the last two decades, massive investments in government housing has led to the construction of millions of homes. While the scale is commendable, it has often come at the cost of ignoring people-centric processes and traditional wisdom. The rural habitat, once built through organic, incremental, and participatory means, now faces the threat of being reduced to a uniform product.

This study project, the outcome of collaborative work by Habitat Forum (INHAF) and its network of partners- Mashal, Gram Vikas, Nivasa And Laurie Baker Centre, is an effort to shift that narrative. It brings together findings from six states, gathered through
fieldwork, community engagement, and analysis of diverse rural housing typologies. The intention is not only to reflect on the implementation of PMAY-G, but also to broaden the conversation around rural habitat development—looking at governance, livelihoods, infrastructure, migration, and the lived realities of people.

The study continues to evolve. The resources added here consolidates the work done
so far and offers a glimpse into the trends, challenges, and lived realities shaping the
rural habitat landscape in India.