NEW DELHI: A Lok Sabha member from Tamil Nadu on Tuesday sought to know the English translation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, saying Hindi names of various central schemes are in a way beneficial for non-BJP governments in non-Hindi speaking states as people don't understand who is sponsoring them.
DMK MP DNV Senthilkumar S said in the lower house that the Hindi names of various schemes of the central government were "blessings in disguise" as those living in non-Hindi speaking states don't understand their meaning.
"Please tell us the English name of the PMAY. Since people don't understand the true meaning, the credit does not go to you (central government)," he said during Question Hour.
In her reply, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said if the MP can understand the meaning of the Indira Awas Yojana, then he can understand the meaning of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana too.
"It is not on any individual's name," she said. The PMAY is a central government scheme to provide affordable housing to the poor in the country.
The Indira Awas Yojana was launched by the Congress government led by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
It was rechristened as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana after the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.
The DMK is now an ally of the Congress. Replying to another question, the minister said there was no delay in releasing funds by the PMAY. "If there is any delay in releasing funds, the responsibility lies with the concerned state government," she said.