Assam: Alleged fake beneficiaries, geo-tagging irregularities reported in Nagaon PMAY scheme

Allegations of large-scale irregularities in the allotment and construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have surfaced in Shingimari Gaon Panchayat under Shingimari Development Block in Assam’s Nagaon district.

According to complaints, houses intended for poor and eligible beneficiaries were allegedly allotted in the names of financially well-off individuals, including owners of two-storey and three-storey houses. The complainants have alleged that some panchayat representatives and the Gaon Panchayat Coordinator (GPC) facilitated the irregularities.

The allegations also include manipulation of the scheme’s geo-tagging process. According to the complainants, names of affluent individuals were allegedly placed against photographs or geo-tagged locations of houses and cowsheds belonging to poor residents, after which PMAY houses were sanctioned in their names.

In some instances, beneficiaries allegedly received the full amount sanctioned for house construction but did not construct the houses, resulting in alleged misappropriation of government funds.

The complaints have specifically named GPC Haider Ali, who has been accused of facilitating the alleged irregularities and depriving poor and genuine beneficiaries in Shingimari Gaon Panchayat of houses under the scheme. The allegations have not been independently verified.

The complainants have further alleged that several financially well-off individuals recently received the first and second instalments of PMAY funds in their names.

Pradeep Kalita, president of the Krishak Shramik Unnayan Sangram Samiti, has raised the issue and urged the Nagaon district commissioner to initiate action, including registration of cases against those allegedly found to have benefited fraudulently from the housing scheme.