RAIPUR: Barely a few months ahead of the Assembly polls, the Chhattisgarh Congress government decided to launch ‘Nyay Yojana’ for the rural population as a new housing scheme to counter the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and attempted to dent one of the key issues aggressively pursued by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in an election year earmarked an initial amount of Rs100 crore to launch Gramin Awas Nyay Yojana (Rural Housing Nyay Scheme) in the supplementary budget he presented during the monsoon session of the House.
The observers familiar with state politics interpreted Baghel’s move as a sharp-witted step ahead of upcoming elections in an apparent response to counter the charges of the state government’s alleged failure to meet the desired results under PMAY (G).
The opposition has been repeatedly targeting the Congress government of “depriving the poor beneficiaries” of getting houses under PMAY-G with the state not handing out its share for the centre’s scheme.PM Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Raipur has also attacked the Baghel government on depriving the allocation of houses to the poor.
Panchayat minister Ravindra Choubey had admitted of lacking contribution from its end citing the situation arising owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. In July 2022 senior state cabinet minister T S Singhdeo resigned from a key department of Panchayat & Rural Development stating that 8 lakh houses were to be constructed under PMAY but it could not happen owing to lack of released funds.
Owing to sluggish progress and unsatisfactory results on various parameters for the beneficiaries under PMAY-G, the Centre had since November 2021 held back its share to be given under the scheme to Chhattisgarh. Baghel, justifying the scheme, had contended that based on the previous 2011 surveys, there are several deprived needy families who are eligible for the PMAY-G.