Startling revelations have emerged regarding the misappropriation of funds and irregularities in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) in Padmabil Village Council, Khowai district. At least four cases have been reported where funds were allegedly misappropriated without the corresponding construction work being carried out as per the scheme’s guidelines.
In response to these allegations, a thorough investigation has been initiated, and a probe has been ordered against the secretary of Padmabil Village Council, Ramendra Debbarma. The District Magistrate of Khowai, Chandni Chandran, visited the Uttar Padmabil Village Council under the Padmabil RD Block on September 26, 2023, where irregularities in the implementation of PMAY-G were observed.
During the inspection, it was discovered that four houses had either not started construction or were progressing poorly despite the release of the 2nd and 3rd installments of funds. Beneficiaries Bahu Debbarma, Lalit Debbarma, Arun Debbarma, and Uttam Debbarma had received installments but had not made satisfactory progress in building their houses.
The administration expressed concern over the dereliction of duty by the concerned Panchayat Secretary and the Gram Rozgar Sahayak (GRS) responsible for geo-tagging before the release of installments. They suspect a high probability of financial misappropriation in this case.
Further scrutiny revealed that the concerned GRS had uploaded fake photographs on the PMAY-G portal, indicating a significant discrepancy in the implementation of the scheme.
In response to these findings, the Khowai District Magistrate instructed the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Padmabil to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the Village Secretary, Mr. Ramendra Debbarma.
Additionally, a committee has been formed to inquire into the irregularities discovered during the implementation of the PMAY-G Scheme for the financial year 2021-22. This committee, led by Bipul Das, Senior Deputy Collector at the DM office, Khowai, includes Amit Jamatia, Additional BDO of Padmabil RD Block, and Shantanu Debnath, Assistant Engineer of the R.D. Division in Khowai. The committee has been directed to submit a factual report within 10 days.
