The Centre has asked the states to repeal archaic housing rent laws. The Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja said this will help instill confidence in people in rental housing sector. She also sought private partnership to reduce the gap in demand and supply of housing in urban areas and appealed to private developers to focus on affordable housing sector instead of catering only to the needs of a small section where the demand is limited.

She was releasing a report by a technical group on estimating urban housing shortage for the 12th Five Year Plan in New Delhi on Saturday.

AIR correspondent reports, the group has estimated housing shortage of 18.78 million at the beginning of the 12th Plan period. The maximum shortage exists among economically weaker sections and low income groups. The report has suggested several measures, including bringing vacant houses into the housing market through taxation and incentives polices, to eliminate housing shortage.