Since independence, housing has been a critical component of India’s rural development strategy, with the State recognizing shelter as a basic human need and an essential condition for social dignity, health, and economic stability. In the initial years after 1947, housing efforts were limited and largely relief-oriented, focusing on rehabilitation of refugees displaced by Partition and housing for government employees. Rural housing remained mostly neglected, with people relying on traditional self-built houses using local materials. The First to Third Five Year Plans emphasized industrial and agricultural growth, while housing was treated as a subsidiary welfare concern. A more structured approach to rural housing began during the Fourth and Fifth Five Year Plans, when the government acknowledged acute housing shortages among the rural poor, especially landless laborers and marginalized communities. The introduction of the Rural Housing Scheme in 1971 marked an early attempt to provide financial assistance to economically weaker sections for house construction. However, coverage remained limited due to inadequate funding and weak implementation mechanisms. To address bonded labor and social exploitation, the government launched specific housing initiatives for freed bonded laborers during the 1970s, linking shelter with social rehabilitation. A major milestone in rural housing policy was the launch of the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) in 1985 as a sub-scheme of the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana. IAY was later converted into an independent scheme in 1996. It aimed to provide free housing to the poorest