The state panchayat department has extended till November 18 the house-to-house survey to re-verify that people whose names were struck off the list of prospective beneficiaries of the rural housing scheme (Awas Yojana) are ineligible for the benefit.
"The survey to recheck the eligibility of the beneficiaries has been extended till November 18 from the earlier November 14. This was done to ensure that no eligible person is deprived of the funds," said a senior government official.
Sources in the administration said the move was initiated after survey teams faced a series of agitations by villagers alleging that the names of genuine beneficiaries were left out of the list that had been prepared in 2022 after a three-step verification.
An initial report received from districts about 10 days ago suggested that about 22 per cent of the people, whose names figured in the list of beneficiaries prepared in 2022, were omitted as they failed to meet the required criteria.
As the agitations gained momentum throughout the state, chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the re-verification of the people whose names were deleted so that no genuine person was left out.
"Now, rechecking of the omitted beneficiaries is being carried out thoroughly so that the minimum number of people, who figured in the previous list, is rejected," said a source.
During the verification, it was found many of the beneficiaries had become ineligible after they built concrete houses on their own. Moreover, they had procured motorcycles that made them ineligible. In addition, some people migrated to other places or died making them ineligible.
"The state government has decided to give some relaxations to ensure that the names of a minimum number of people are deleted from the list. The names of those who have motorcycles would now be allowed to be retained on the list. Furthermore, those who have erected concrete walls but have thatched roofs would also be considered for the scheme. Only those who have migrated or procured motorized three-wheelers would be omitted," said a source.
Sources also said the state had the target to bring down the number of deleted names to 15 per cent from 22 per cent.
“Deletion of 15 per cent names is manageable. Anything more than that could lead to state-wide agitation, which the ruling establishment does not want to face right at the moment when it is facing several agitations over the RG Kar incident in the urban areas,” said the source.
The sources also said the state government wanted to delete the names of a minimum number of beneficiaries from the list as it did not want to face a major agitation ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
"This could be one of the major weapons for the ruling party to counter the BJP ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls... If the initiative leaves the majority of people angry, it could backfire for the ruling party ahead of the polls. This is why the government is checking thoroughly before deleting any name," said an official.
According to the new schedule, the rechecking of deleted names would continue till November 18 and the final list would be ready for release of funds by December 23. The government has plans to release the first instalment of ₹60,000 to construct dwelling units for 11.36 lakh beneficiaries by December 25.
The government decided to shoulder the entire burden since the Centre stopped the release of funds under the PMAY alleging misappropriation of funds in Bengal.
"The Centre was supposed to release ₹8,200 crore under the scheme in 2022 as it was supposed to be funded on a 60:40 basis. But as the Centre stopped the release of funds at the last moment, the state decided to shoulder the entire burden," said an official.
