The district administration of Prayagraj has initiated recovery actions against more than 2,000 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) who obtained funds but did not proceed with the construction of their homes.
Following the issuance of notices, the administration is now in the process of preparing to distribute Recovery Certificates (RCs) from the relevant tehsils to recover the misappropriated public funds. In total, 1,507 rural beneficiaries under PMAY-Gramin and 504 urban beneficiaries under PMAY-Urban have failed to finalize their housing projects despite having received government support.
It is noteworthy that approximately 470 individuals in the urban category received financial assistance nearly six years ago but have not yet constructed their homes, even after receiving all the instalments.
Of these, more than 400 beneficiaries did not even lay the foundation for their houses. An additional 100 have only managed to erect partial structures, such as incomplete walls. Urban regions including Jhalwa, Dhoomanganj, Salori, Baghara, Rajapur, Kareli, and Rajrooppur exhibit the highest number of defaulters. Likewise, beneficiaries from towns such as Sirsa, Bharatganj, Koraon, Shankargarh, Handia, Phulpur, Mauaima, and Lal Gopalganj have also failed to appropriately utilize the allocated funds.
This problem is particularly prevalent in rural regions, where around 1,450 beneficiaries across tehsils like Koraon, Meja, Karchhana, Bara, Phulpur, and Handia have not commenced construction despite having received all government aid installments. In many instances, the homes have not advanced beyond the foundation stage, with some plots not even having been excavated. To tackle this issue, the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) is preparing to submit a formal report to the relevant tehsils for the issuance of Recovery Certificates (RCs) against urban defaulters. DUDA is also developing similar documentation for rural areas to facilitate further action.
Chief Development Officer Harshika Singh has stressed that beneficiaries receiving financial assistance under the PMAY must ensure that the funds are utilized solely for home construction. Those who have disregarded three notices and failed to demonstrate progress in construction will now be subject to stringent recovery measures. This enforcement is part of a larger initiative to promote accountability and ensure that government schemes benefit genuine recipients who intend to use the support for its intended purpose, according to officials from the district administration.
