The Government of India is on a mission to meet the housing needs of all in the society by 2022. This implies that about 27 million houses are expected to be constructed in the next 5 to 10 years. As of today, 5.1 million houses have been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Houses for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) group and Low Income Group (LIG) represent a major portion of this initiative. Construction of millions of houses is expected to generate large demand for materials and energy at the national level. There is a need to evaluate alternate materials, construction methods and construction plans to conserve materials and energy use at the aggregate level. This study presents a review of various housing initiatives undertaken in India, housing technologies and evaluation criteria that are used to choose an appropriate technology. Further, a discussion on sustainability aspects of low cost house construction is presented. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.