BJD calls Centre's reply in LS on Odisha's PMAY-G 'politically motivated'

Bhubaneswar, Aug 4 (PTI) The ruling BJD in Odisha on Wednesday described the Centre's reply in the Lok Sabha that 85 per cent of the 12.85 lakh Pradhan Mantrti Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) beneficiaries in the state are ineligible for the scheme and the majority of funds have been mis-utilised as “biased” and “politically motivated”. Such a response by Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti to a question is unbecoming of her office, BJD national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said in a statement.

Claiming that Odisha is a leading state in rural housing, the BJD leader said, “It looks like a conspiracy by the BJP to defame the (state) government and stop the poor of Odisha from getting houses.” The central government had awarded Odisha for being the best-performing state in rural housing, Patra said and demanded that the minister rectify her reply to that question.

In her reply, the Union minister has reproduced, "in a partisan and biased manner", contents of a BJP MP delegation's memorandum which is highly deplorable, the statement claimed.

No political memorandum is ever reproduced in ministerial replies, and therefore this reply is “politically motivated” with an intent to willfully show the government of Odisha in a bad light.

The Union minister in a written reply on August 3 said, "85 per cent of the 12.85 lakh PMAY-G beneficiaries in Odisha are ineligible for the scheme and majority of funds have been mis-utilised for personal gain." She said this quoting the findings of a joint presentation of nine MPs.

According to the minister, the findings said that multiple members of the same family have been granted houses under the scheme and families whose applications were rejected in 2018-19, have been allotted houses in 2019-2020. PTI AAM NN NN