Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh): After the relentless wave of corruption in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, another case of corruption in Gram Panchayat Thanwari, located in the Chhindwara Vidhansabha constituency represented by MLA Sujit Singh Chaudhary has been reported in which the funds were withdrawn in the name of the beneficiaries of the housing scheme without their knowledge.
On receiving complaints from the locals of Thanwari Gram Panchayat, the District Panchayat president, Saroj Radheshyam Raghuvanshi, reached the place for inspection. During Raghuvanshi's visit, the villagers mentioned the irregularities of funds intended for the construction of houses. Evidently, these houses only exist on paper, with some being falsely claimed by villagers, who don't even reside in the area. Raghuvanshi has urgently called for an inquiry, urging the CEO of the District Panchayat to take immediate action.
Baghel, the Project Officer of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Chhindwara district, said, "Despite significant efforts, a considerable number of houses are yet to be constructed. Out of the targeted 93,269 houses in the rural areas of Chhindwara district from 2016-17 to 2022-23, 86,505 houses have been completed, with the work on 6,489 houses still underway. Furthermore, the district achieved its 2022-23 target of 19,741 houses, with 15,860 completed and 3,881 currently in progress."
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The sarpanch of the village panchayat, Alpana Sanat Velvanshi, lodged a complaint where he mentioned the fraudulent allocation of funds. He claimed that one Mishrilal Oike, residing away from the village for over a decade, had a house constructed in his name on paper, even though no such house really exists. The funds allocated for the construction have been withdrawn. Similarly, in another case, misleading images of a constructed house were uploaded on the government portal, leading to the withdrawal of funds for a nonexistent house. Similar instances unfolded in 2020 where municipal officials were found guilty of diverting funds and falsely documenting structures.
In Dewas, another district of Madhya Pradesh, a case of misappropriation of crores of rupees in the PM Awas Yojana was unearthed, implicating 32 employees and officers. Numerous cases within the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana highlight a distressing pattern where funds are withdrawn in the name of beneficiaries, while genuine houses remain unrealised. Shockingly, over 6,000 beneficiaries are still awaiting their promised homes.
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