Corruption Allegations Hit PMAY Housing Scheme in Nagaon

Guwahati: Fraud allegations have rocked the Shingimari Gaon Panchayat in Assam’s Nagaon district. Complaints suggest systemic corruption within the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Wealthy locals with two or three-storey homes allegedly secured housing funds meant for the poor. Greedy hands took the money.

The scheme relies on geo-tagging to verify construction, but whistleblowers claim this process was rigged. Officials allegedly attached the names of affluent residents to existing houses or cowsheds owned by struggling families to bypass eligibility checks. The misappropriation of government funds is the core charge. Some beneficiaries received the full project amount without ever breaking ground on a new build.

Pradeep Kalita, president of the Krishak Shramik Unnayan Sangram Samiti, is leading the charge against the administration. He wants the Nagaon district commissioner to intervene immediately. Kalita demanded, "register cases against those allegedly found to have benefited fraudulently from the housing scheme."

The finger points squarely at Gaon Panchayat Coordinator Haider Ali. Complainants accuse Ali of working with local representatives to rig the system and lock genuine, impoverished applicants out of the program. Records indicate several wealthy individuals recently cashed in on the first and second installments of the project funds. Authorities have yet to independently verify these claims.