India, Feb. 1 -- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present Budget 2025 today, and the real estate sector anticipates a strong focus on affordable and middle-income housing. Industry stakeholders are seeking an expanded definition of affordable housing, tax benefits for homebuyers to boost affordability, and incentives for developers to drive the construction of budget-friendly homes.

The need of the hour is to provide more tax sops for both homebuyers and developers wanting to undertake affordable and middle-income housing projects. Real estate experts say the government should raise the deduction limit for interest payments on home loans from the existing Rs.2 lakh a year to Rs.5 lakh, which will add momentum to housing demand. ...