Come any scheme of the Government unscrupulous officials know how to extract money. Here is the case of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna Gramin (PMAY-G). A house under this scheme is to be photographed right from plot of land down to roof casting. In fact photography is the precursor to its funding and here unscrupulous officials are making money. On an average a beneficiary of this PMAY G has to cough up 2,000 rupees for all the set of photography.
Sources said the first photography is of the plot of land. Here goes down Rs 500.
Then comes the foundation and plinth. Here it is photographed and again goes down 500 in the pockets of the unscrupulous officials who insists on payment else the second allotment may get delayed. A poor beneficiary pays it through his nose.
Prabha Devi wife of Arun Ram of Jhareewa village under Chainpur block said, “Every time our upcoming house is photographed we pay money then only the camera clicks and takes shots.”
She said, “We have paid Rs 500 for photography of the plot of land for this house. Again Rs 200 for foundation laying. Every photo click has its price.” Sabeeta Kuarn is building her PMAY-G house. She has used sub standard quality brick. Her co villager Anil Chandravanshi said she has done this so to meet these extra illegal expenses.
Anil Chandravanshi too has this house and has paid this illegal money just for the sake that his funding should be free of any trouble.
Senior BJP leader Kishore Kumar Pandey who is roaming around Palamu to find out where this highly useful housing scheme for the poor launched by PM Narendra Modi is being holed by unscrupulous officials said, “These beneficiaries just do not pay for photography they pay money to the bankers also.”
What Pandey said was corroborated by Prabha Devi who showing her Kiosk Pass Book SBI of Shahpur said she had paid Rs 250 for debiting her first installment of 26,000 for her house which is coming up in the name of her husband Arun Ram who ekes out his living by carpentry.
Attempts to contact DDC, Sushant Gaurav went futile as he was reportedly busy in video conferencing with Chief Secretary of the State.
Arun Ram and Santosh Ram of Jhareewa village are building their house with pillars where the design of house under PMAY G has no pillar. These two people are ready to pool in their own money in this scheme which is worth 1.30 lakh but this cut money keeps them most worried.
Pandey said, “Following a crackdown by administration on sand traders in the last week the price of one tractor of sand is up by Rs 600 to Rs 700 and PMAY G beneficiaries are getting sand at a very high price like 1,200 or 1,300 per tractor load and this extraction of money in the name of photography comes as a huge burden on the beneficiaries.”