The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, one of the Modi government’s ambitious projects meant to provide homes to the poor, has come under controversy in Prayagraj. A shocking case of fraud has been uncovered, where more than 9,000 people allegedly took Rs 1.20 lakh each under the scheme despite already owning houses, according to a report by News18 Hindi.
Investigations revealed that the funds meant for building homes were misused, with some beneficiaries even living in two-storey houses. Many of them submitted fake documents to claim the money.
Officials also under investigation
In Shankargarh block alone, 3,127 beneficiaries took the first installment but did not lay even a single brick. Local checks confirmed they did not actually need new homes.
Authorities have now started action to recover the money and legal cases are being prepared. Officials who approved these applications are also under investigation, the report mentioned.
Massive frauds in pension schemes
The scam is not limited to housing. Reports say that pension schemes have also faced massive frauds. Over Rs 40 lakh was wrongly taken through fake claims, non-reporting of deaths and beneficiaries not informing about remarriages, s per the report.
More than 100 women were found to have either remarried or passed away a year ago in the widow pension scheme, yet pensions continued to be paid, leading to a wrongful payment of over Rs 12 lakh.
In the old-age pension scheme too, 2,351 beneficiaries were found to be deceased, but their families continued withdrawing money. Officials admitted that the current system has no clear provision to recover such amounts once they are transferred to bank accounts.
What is Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is a government scheme started in June 2015 to give affordable houses to poor people in both cities and villages.
The scheme consists of two parts:
PMAY-Urban (PMAY-U): This is for poor families living in towns and cities. It is run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and covers around 4,300 cities.
PMAY-Gramin (PMAY-G or PMAY-R): This is for poor families living in villages. It is run by the Ministry of Rural Development.