 "Nitish Kumar")
The Bihar government has directed district authorities to display the "logo" of the state-sponsored 'Mukhya Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana' (MMGAY) in all houses that are being constructed under the scheme in the rural areas.
In a recent circular issued to all Deputy Development Commissioners (DDCs) and other concerned officials of the district administration, the state Rural Development department has asked the DDCs to ensure the display of the logo in all houses being constructed under the MMGAY and 'Mukhya Mantri Vas Sthal Kraya Sahayata Yojana'.
Bihar Rural Development minister Sharvan Kumar said that houses built under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) before 1996 have become dilapidated. Families belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) reside in them. These families don't get benefits from the Central government's ongoing housing schemes as they had already been provided funds under the IAY.
"But now their houses are in shabby conditions and benefits of other government welfare schemes have no meaning for these families if they do not have proper housing facilities. Therefore, the Bihar government has now decided to provide them (those who are not eligible to get funds under the current schemes) funds so that they construct their own houses and purchase land (those who don't have) for construction of their pucca houses under the MMGAY and Mukhya Mantri Vas Sthal Kraya Sahayata Yojana", Kumar told PTI on Tuesday.
The minister said, "Since the entire fund is being provided by the state government under these schemes for the construction of houses, officials have been directed to ensure the display of logo in houses stating that It is being constructed under the MMGAY and Mukhya Mantri Vas Sthal Kraya Sahayata Yojana".
The NDA government at the Centre is not concerned about the living condition of these families (availed benefits before 1996) and they are in large numbers in the state, therefore, the Grand Alliance government in Bihar has decided to provide them pucca houses by bearing all expenses, he said, adding the department has allocated Rs 80 crore for these schemes in the year 2023-24 and it will be further increased once the final list of beneficiaries is prepared.
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For those who don't have land, the department will provide Rs 60,000 to them to help them buy land for housing under the Mukhya Mantri Vas Sthal Kraya Sahayata Yojana and Rs 1.20 lakh to renovate the dilapidated abodes constructed under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), the minister said. The erstwhile scheme of IAY was restructured into Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) with effect from 1st April, 2016 by the Centre.
"I have also asked officials to display logo in houses being constructed under PMAY-G mentioning that 40 per cent of the fund has been provided by the state government under the scheme. The PMAY-G scheme seeks to provide pucca houses, with all basic amenities, including water, sanitation and electricity, to all the eligible rural households, in two phases.
"The cost of one unit is shared by the central and state governments in the ratio of 60:40 . While the assistance for each unit in the plains is Rs 1.20 lakh, it is Rs 1.30 lakh per unit for houses in hilly and difficult areas and districts under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP)", the minister said.
Reacting to Kumar's allegation, senior Bihar BJP leader, Nikhil Anand, told PTI, "When the PMAY has become a great success in many states, the Bihar government is now launching its CM Rural Awas Yojana. If they were so keen to give houses to the needy and poor, why didn't they launch it earlier. Many schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not been either launched or properly implemented in Bihar. Aayushman Bharat is another such scheme which the Bihar government has deliberately failed and only about 17 per cent cards could be made."
He said "The Central funds are badly misutilised in Bihar, wasting the public exchequer money... petty politics should not come in between the development and people's welfare".
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