Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan yesterday urged his cabinet colleague Giriraj Singh to allow Odisha to migrate the data of eligible beneficiaries from rural housing portal to the Awaas portal.
Pradhan met the Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Delhi and submitted him a letter in this regard.
In the letter, he requested Giriraj to allow the Odisha government to migrate the data of eligible beneficiaries from rural housing portal to PWL of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) by opening the Awaas+ window to include eligible families
The data transfer will open the door to a life of dignity for the poorest of the poor in dire need of housing in Odisha, he said.
Pradhan also emphasised the need for rigorous monitoring of the entire process so that no eligible beneficiary is left out.
In Odisha, around 27 lakh families have been included under PMAY-G. However, the Odisha government has failed in terms of completion of survey for identification of eligible families, geo-tagging of households, inclusion of eligible families, exclusion of ineligible beneficiaries and linking of Aadhar and job card details of eligible families.
Still, he said, the state government is claiming that around 7 lakh families have been excluded from the scheme.
The education minister has pointed out the outcomes of investigations done by the ministry of rural development in the implementation of PMAY-G in Odisha.
“It is sad to note that of the allocated target of 8,17,513 houses from finalized Awaas+ lists in financial year 2021-22, Odisha government has deliberately and disproportionately concentrated on districts where the ruling party had a strong vote share,” he claimed.
However, the truth remains that the state faces the unique challenge of natural calamities and most rural households are located in remote locations in districts with a significant tribal population. These challenges often act as an impediment to ensure housing for all, he stated.
There is a need for rigorous checking to eliminate chances of duplication of beneficiaries between the PMAY-G and state housing scheme, he added.
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