Bhubaneswar: The Union and state governments have made repeated assurances to provide houses to the poor under various schemes like the Indira Awas, Rajiv Awas and Biju Pucca Ghar projects. However, they only proved to be gimmicks to create vote banks, as neither the Centre nor the state government has kept its promises.
Lack of political will as well as effective mechanisms to select the beneficiaries have left the beneficiaries in the lurch, while the schemes are in the doldrums. Consequently, the schemes, which were launched with much fanfare and named after different leaders, have come in for severe flak from several quarters.
In 2014, the state government made pre-poll promises that it would convert all the thatched (kaccha) houses into pucca (concrete) buildings by 2019, but going by the progress report on the project, it has fallen apart. The reports of Panchayati Raj department and Assembly proceedings only confirm that the promises were mere eyewash.
Earlier, the state government held palli sabhas to identify the beneficiaries whose kuccha houses were to be converted into proper buildings. This was being done on the basis of various socio-economic censuses. However, the procedure was found to be riddled with massive corruption and, hence, was discontinued. The state government formulated new guidelines June 9, 2015 for selecting beneficiaries and introduced a novel lottery system.
The objective of the new system was to do away with the role of middlemen – block development officers, junior engineers and local leaders – in selecting the beneficiaries. It was found that these people were exploiting the poor taking advantage of the loopholes in the schemes, sources said. This scheme, which was implemented in four districts, also met its grave after four months of its inception.
According to sources in the state Panchayati Raj department, the scheme was suspended since the state government decided to convert all the kuccha houses into concrete ones.
Subsequently, the government announced fresh guidelines for selection of beneficiaries October 1, 2016 and made public a list of 86 lakh beneficiaries on the basis of a socio-economic census. However, the government pruned the list of beneficiaries in two phases and identified only 28.71 lakh eligible beneficiaries in the first phase. Of these, only 4.95 lakh beneficiaries received concrete houses last year.
The department sources further revealed that out of the total outlay of Rs 330.105 crore earmarked for 2014-15 fiscal for the scheme, only Rs 193.538 was spent during the period. Similarly, the government was able to spend Rs 828.22 crore against the allocation of Rs 700 crore in the 2015-16 fiscal and Rs 373.196 crore against the allocation of Rs 700 crore in the 2016-17 fiscal, the annual report of the department shows.
State Panchayati Raj minister in his reply to a question raised in the Assembly March 29, 2016 had revealed that the government had constructed 1,44,545 houses against a target of 1,94,724 units under Biju Pucca Ghar and Indira Awas schemes in the 2013-14 fiscal. Likewise, the government completed the construction of 1,44,290 houses against a target of 2,13,278 units in 2014-15, the minister.
Nevertheless, the government failed to meet a whopping target of 2,58,344 housing units under the twin schemes in 2015-16, as it could complete only 13,498 units, the minister told the House. If the minister’s statement is to be believed, the government has not even reached the half-way mark of its target. The target for three years was 6,66,346 houses, but the government could only complete 3,02,333 units under the twin schemes during this period.
The incumbent minister Pradeep Maharathy, while replying to a query by Prafulla Majhi September 12, 2017, had revealed in the Assembly that the government had identified 27,48,410 eligible beneficiaries and presented a district-wise list in the House. He also said that 10 lakh thatched houses were converted into concrete houses between 2014-15 and May 20, 2016.
The two ministers presenting different facts in the House speaks volumes about the failure as well as the intention of the government in executing the schemes.
As per the data, the government has completed 1,20,398 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (rechristened name of Indira Awas Yojana) and 23,755 houses under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana in the 2016-17 financial year. Going by its promise, the government needs to complete 17,48,410 housing units by 2019-20, but it has only been able to complete 1,44,153 houses so far. As a result, if the government wishes to fulfill its commitment, it would be required to complete the remaining 16,04,257 houses by 2019. If the past records are any indication, it definitely appears to be a Herculean task for any state government.
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