There are reports that some bogus builders/developers with some NGOs are fooling poor people in the name of Prime Minister Awas Yojna (Urban) scheme claiming that a house could be booked by just paying Rs150. This was revealed by a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry at a meeting.
“There is a big propaganda going on in some major cities that under this scheme anybody can get a house and the applications are sold for Rs500. Some NGOs are collecting Rs150 from urban poor in the name of booking houses under PMAY,” he told the committee.
Taking a serious note of alleged cases of fraud by some NGOs in the Prime Minister Awas Yojna (urban), the Committee has asked Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry to immediately get thoroughly investigated the alleged cases of fraud in its Housing Scheme PMAY (Urban).
“The Committee is perturbed to note cases of fraud and cheating taking place in many cities including NCR of Delhi for allocation of houses under PMAY (Urban) with fake propaganda that a house could be booked by just paying Rs150 by unscrupulous elements and fraud NGOs etc,” the Committee said.
The Standing Committee noted that a lot of bogus builders/developers are apparently registering and enlisting a lot of consumers for allotment of economic weaker section/ lower income group house in the name of affordable housing scheme under the mission of ‘Housing for All by 2022’.
“The committee strongly caution and recommend that HUPA Ministry should immediately swing into action and get such complaints thoroughly investigated in all States and UTs as one of their prime scheme, named PMAY (U) is being misused for illegal money-making by some corrupt-minded anti-social elements,” the panel, headed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra, said.
The Committee underlined that any delay in catching those involved will give them liberty to rob millions of more poor and have-nots of the society. “If unchecked, poor and homeless masses will feel cheated and betrayed and also it will be difficult for them to trust any of the Government Schemes henceforth,” the committee said in its report tabled in Parliament recently.
The Committee pitched aggressive awareness programmes through visual and print media should be launched immediately to educate and inform common people to beware of such fraudulent persons/NGOs, on the lines of the awareness drive relating to non-divulgence of any of the personal bank A/c, ATM card, PIN/CVV number, password of email, etc., to any unknown person asking for such details.
Meanwhile, the committee also recommended higher allocation of budgetary funds for HUPA Ministry. “The committee recommend for a real increased budgetary provisions to be provided henceforth in favour of HUPA Ministry, responsible for fulfilling aspirations and expectations of millions of urban poor and homeless,” the Committee said.