Industry experts at a national conference in New Delhi said India’s real estate sector requires policy reforms to tackle rising housing costs and procedural delays, stressing affordability and ease of doing business as central challenges. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) organised the National Conference on Real Estate for Viksit Bharat: Enabling Growth, Investment & Ease of Doing Business, which brought together developers and industry bodies to discuss regulatory and technological measures to unlock growth. Ashwinder R Singh, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Real Estate Committee, Northern Region, said escalating land prices had made affordable housing increasingly difficult and urged a dedicated affordable housing policy. He noted that work was underway across the private and public sectors but described land cost as a major headwind requiring swift policy intervention to keep homes within reach of ordinary buyers. Pradeep Aggarwal, chairman of the National Council on Real Estate, Housing, Urban Development (NCREHUD), highlighted the need for faster approvals and greater technology adoption, including digitised land records and single?window clearances to improve the ease of doing business. He added that the focus was shifting from mere construction to smarter and more sustainable structures and that developers were increasingly implementing green building practices and digital processes to streamline delivery. Industry representatives said a coordinated policy framework addressing both affordability and development procedures would be essential for future sector growth and investor confidence. They expected that clearer approvals, improved digitisation and targeted affordability measures would make the impact of current initiatives more visible in the coming years and help to widen access to housing. Stakeholders emphasised coordination across central and state agencies to ensure uniform implementation.