SINGAPORE,March21,2012: How does a man propose to his fiance in
Singapore ? He gets down on his knees and says, "Shall we apply for a HDB apartment?" Locals may delight in narrating this anecdote, but over the past five decades Singapore's Housing & Development Board (HDB) has created one of the world's finest public housing projects. Over 80% of the 3.8 million Singaporeans reside in subsidized flats. Till the mid-1960 s, the nation-state - just over oneand-a-half times larger than Mumbai - was dotted with over-crowded slum colonies and unsanitary, low-quality houses. By end-2010 , HDB had built close to a million affordable homes, of which 95% are owned ,
the rest rented out. "Couples can apply for a flat, but they must marry within three months after it is allotted ,'' said Tay
Koon Quie, HDB's principal estates officer.
The monthly household income must be $7,908 for a family to be eligible for a house. The board provides a housing grant of $23,726 to each family and an additional $7,908 if the couple select an a flat close to where their parents reside. Last year, the HDB built 25,000 apartments and plans to provide an equal number this year. "Virtually every Singaporean has been touched, in one way or another, by what HDB has achieved in 50 years. This is the story of modern Singapore ,'' Mah Bow Ta, Singapore's minister for national development , wrote.
