The waiting list under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) in Karakat, Rohtas district, Bihar, will be reverified following complaints that ineligible families were included while eligible households were left out. Officials have been directed to submit an investigation report within one week.
Rohtas Deputy Development Commissioner Dr. Akanksha Anand issued a letter to the Karakat Block Development Officer on October 13, directing a fresh verification of the families included in the draft waiting list under PMAY-G.
A team of officials will be formed at the block level to conduct inspections across all panchayats. The team will examine the actual circumstances of the families listed as beneficiaries and verify whether they meet the scheme's eligibility criteria.
Officials have been instructed to complete the investigation and submit their report within one week. Further action will be decided after the report is received.
Questions have been raised over the PMAY-G waiting list in Karakat. Complaints allege that some people who do not meet the eligibility requirements have been included, while several families in need of permanent houses have been left off the list.
One applicant said considerable effort was required to get their name included in the waiting list. According to the applicant, the name was eventually added with the assistance of a housing assistant who had arrived from another panchayat to conduct verification.
Following these complaints, the administration decided to review the earlier selection process.
Karakat Block Development Officer Sanjeet Kumar said Arjun Gupta, a member of the BJP state working committee, had submitted a complaint letter to the district magistrate seeking verification of the waiting list prepared under PMAY-G.
The complaint was subsequently referred to the Deputy Development Commissioner, following which an order was issued to verify beneficiaries' eligibility across all panchayats.
According to the BDO, a team of officials will be constituted to examine the circumstances of the families included in the list.
The order for fresh verification has raised concerns among housing assistants who were involved in the earlier beneficiary selection and verification process.
Some employees fear that their roles could also come under scrutiny if irregularities are found in the preparation of the list.
However, no action against any employee has been confirmed so far. The number of beneficiaries who may have been selected incorrectly has also not been established.
The findings of the investigation will determine the extent to which the complaints are substantiated.
PMAY-G is intended for families that meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the government.
During the verification in Karakat, officials will examine whether the families included in the waiting list qualify under the scheme's rules.
If a family's inclusion is found to have been based on incorrect information, its name may be removed from the list in accordance with the applicable rules. However, a complaint alone will not establish ineligibility; the investigation must establish the relevant facts.
Once verification is completed across all panchayats in Karakat, officials will submit their findings to the administration. The report will form the basis for deciding what corrections, if any, are required in the waiting list.
At present, the number of families whose inclusion has been questioned and the number of eligible households excluded from the list remain unclear.
Residents who have applied for PMAY-G can obtain information about the waiting list from their panchayat housing assistant or the block office.
