BHUBANESWAR: BJP on Monday charged the state government of making a consistent effort to derail Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the flagship rural housing scheme of the Centre, by selecting beneficiaries on party lines.
Accusing the BJD of manipulating the provisional list of 9.59 lakh PMAY-Gramin beneficiaries published on Monday inviting objections, state BJP general secretary Prithiviraj Harichandan said the Panchayati Raj department has tried similar mischief as it did in the list prepared in 2018-19.
“A large number of people who were in the permanent wait list (PWL) and waiting for housing assistance since 2019 do not figure in the provisional list published on Monday. A rough estimate said that around 1.5 lakh rural people eligible for government assistance have been excluded ,” Harichandan told a media conference here.
Citing the name of two persons - Tikina Dei and Dukhi Rout of Chandeswar gram panchayat under Chilika block of Khurda district - Harichandan said their houses were badly damaged in cyclone Fani that hit the Odisha coast in May 2019. Their names were in the PWL but they do not figure in the revised list.
“The state government had to conduct household survey for three times following objection from BJP as many of the selected beneficiaries were found ineligible. However, the provisional list on display is no different. The selection has been made on party line and we will not accept it till the genuine persons are included,” he said. BJP is also opposed to the idea of disclosure of personal details of the complainant as it will lead to violence. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the identity of the whistle blowers as there is possible danger to their lives from people who will be affected, he said.
“We urge the government to keep the name of whistle blowers secret and to open the complaint box at respective block office instead of panchayat office by an officer who is not familiar with people for greater transparency,” Harichandan said. Since many eligible beneficiaries have remodelled their thatched houses with tile roof due to prolonged delay in allotment of houses, the BJP demanded they be included in the final list.