BJP asks Government to publish BPGY beneficiary list

BHUBANESWAR: A day after senior BJD leader Damodar Rout raised his eyebrows over the State Government’s claim of constructing 17 lakh houses under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana (BPGY), the BJP on Wednesday dared the ruling party to prove its claim by making the name of the beneficiaries public.Taking a potshot at the Government for misleading the public by providing false data on rural housing, the BJP asked, “How it is possible to construct so may houses when the Government has not made any budgetary provision under the State sponsored BPGY in the last two financial years?”

Launching a publicity blitz on its achievements during Rath Yatra, the State Government claimed to have constructed 17 lakh houses under BPGY in the last four years. Accusing the State Government of hijacking the Centrally sponsored housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and mixing it up with BPGY, State BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra asked the Government to keep village-wise names of the beneficiaries in public domain for scrutiny.Earlier, the State Government had made similar attempt to hoodwink the people by claiming to help construct seven lakh pucca houses in a span of five months from January to May 2016. However, its false assertion got exposed when the Opposition made public the reply given by then Panchayati Raj Minister Arun Sahu in the Assembly on the achievements made in the rural housing front, Mohapatra said.

Recalling Sahu’s reply to the Assembly in December 2015, Mohapatra said the then minister had said construction of 3,02,333 houses were completed till December which included 57,538 houses under BPGY and 2,44,795 houses under Indira Awas Yojana. Curiously, the Chief Minister dedicated 10 lakh pucca houses to the rural poor in May 2016 which means seven lakh houses were constructed within five month. Now, the Government is claiming to have constructed 17 lakh under  BPGY, he added. 

Referring to the CAG report on State finances for the year ended March 2017, Mohapatra said the national auditor rapped the Government for failing meet the financial and physical targets under PMAY and BPGY. Expressing surprise over the Government’s claim, Rout on Tuesday said it was hard to believe that 17 lakh BPGY houses have been constructed in last four years.