Patna, February 26 The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has raised concerns about irregularities in the implementation of the PMAY-G scheme in Bihar, with allegations ranging from approving houses for children to geotagging houses in Delhi and Jharkhand.
The report was presented in the state Assembly on Thursday.
"During a review of records from selected districts, the audit found instances of approving houses for ineligible beneficiaries. The PMAY-G scheme did not have provisions for registering/approving houses for minors. In September 2017, the central government clarified that if both the beneficiaries—the husband and wife—had died, the minor child, whose name was on the list, could be granted a house jointly with a guardian or officer from the block/panchayat, after verification. However, the audit revealed four cases involving minor beneficiaries," the report stated.
The audit also found two instances of approving houses for minors despite their parents being alive, indicating that their eligibility had not been properly verified. Payments of Rs 2.50 lakh had been made to these two ineligible minor beneficiaries, the report stated.
Regarding discrepancies in geotagging, the report said, "The audit found cases where houses were geotagged outside their designated geographical locations, including districts and even outside the state. In 52 cases, the locations of houses were geotagged in distant locations within the state, significantly deviating from the actual locations. In three cases, the locations of houses were geotagged in Delhi and Jharkhand, with distances ranging from 51 km to 915 km."
Launched by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in June 2015, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) is a flagship program aimed at providing affordable housing for the rural poor.
Under the scheme, families living in kutcha houses are provided with sturdy houses with basic amenities, including hygienic kitchens.