Chandigarh, Oct 1 (IANS) Former Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Ashwani Sharma on Thursday asked the state government to order an impartial probe into allegations of bribery in the allocation of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Mamdot, Ferozepur district.
He said the allegations of houses being allotted in exchange for bribes were extremely unfortunate and shameful.
He described the alleged irregularities as a serious injustice to people experiencing poverty.
Out of a list of 400 needy families, only 33 houses were approved, of which just two were reportedly allotted to beneficiaries. In contrast, the remaining 31 were allegedly allotted to influential individuals owning 50 to 200 acres of land.
He said in a statement that the matter required attention and alleged that such practices undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of welfare for people experiencing poverty.
Sharma said the state government should order an impartial, high-level investigation into the matter.
He also demanded that employees facing allegations of accepting bribes should not be spared if the charges are established.
The eligibility of all beneficiaries allotted houses should also be thoroughly scrutinised.
In addition, he demanded fresh verification of the 367 low-income families whose house applications were rejected.
Sharma said the BJP would not tolerate corruption in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
He said the BJP stood firmly with people experiencing poverty and would continue to fight for justice for those denied their rightful benefits.
Meanwhile, senior party leader and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla thanked PM Modi for covering 484 Dalit-majority villages in the state under the PM Awas Yojana.
More than 40 per cent of the population in these villages belongs to the Dalit community, and the Central government will provide grants of up to Rs 20 lakh each for development work in these villages.
Sampla said the scheme’s benefits are not limited to road and building construction.
The scheme will also support development in areas such as drinking water, sanitation, education, health and nutrition, social security, housing, electricity, clean fuel, agriculture, financial inclusion, digital facilities, employment and skill development.
–IANS
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