OF ‘KUTCHA’ AND ‘PAKKA’

Abstract

Rural development in India is largely defined by the ideas of ‘kutcha’ and ‘pakka’ construction. In Hindi, the word ‘pakka’ means solid or permanent. ‘Kutcha’ houses are defined as temporary structures built using mud, grass, reed, stones, thatch, straw, leaves, and unburnt bricks. In contrast ‘Pakka’ houses are built using cement, RCC and baked bricks. In India, a large-scale plan to build ‘pakka’ houses under PMAY (and earlier iterations) is underway. It offers a universal solution to the people to build a structurally stable and easy to maintain units.