Government Housing, Reimagined: From Employee Welfare to State Capacity
Introduction: A Paradox Hidden in Plain Sight There are certain public policy questions that emerge not from official reports or expert committees but from ordinary walks through our own cities and towns. One such question has stayed with me for a long time. In many Indian cities and towns, government residential colonies occupy large tracts of prime urban land. Some remain vibrant and fully occupied. Others are only partially occupied. A few contain entire buildings of vacant flats that receive little to no attention. Yet just beyond their boundaries lie densely packed neighbourhoods where families compete for limited housing, rental costs continue to rise, and every available plot of land is utilised to its maximum. The contrast is difficult to ignore. This is not an isolated phenomenon. Across India, central and state government departments, organisations, corporations, and universities collectively own enormous residential estates built over several decades. These colonies were est...