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PM-AWAS Yojna in Bengal: The Elusive Promise of Affordable Housing for Millions
"It is a crime to be born poor. The Central Government doesn't care for us. The thatched roof above our heads is leaking, and so are our hopes for a proper house," said Nazrul Laskar, 51, from Howrah district in West Bengal. He is one of eleven lakh thirty-four thousand beneficiaries shortlisted by PM Modi's Government for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna in West Bengal but is yet to receive the funds to build his house. At a nondescript village under Dakshin Jharpada gram panchayat in Howrah district, Nazrul isn't the only one whose wait for the funds is still lingering and now mired in a political face-off between Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
News The Truth visited the house of Nazrul Laskar on Tuesday while it was raining incessantly and found his wife, Sahida Laskar, running from one place to another trying to catch water leaking from the broken thatched roof of their one-room mud house. A plastic sheet has been attached to the ceiling of the thatched 'tali' roof as a layer of protection, but it cannot hold the water leaking from the roof and accumulating there for long. Sahida got up on her bed with a small container and then pinned a hole in the plastic to drain out the accumulated water. She kept repeating the process multiple times as the rains didn't stop until we left her house. "This is my life. When I was married to this house, I thought my life would change, but in the past 27 years of our marriage, this broken roof of the house has been the only thing constant in our lives. In the monsoons, night after night I don't get to sleep trying to catch water and save this house from getting washed away. I ensure my two children can sleep even if I am sleepless and suffering," said Sahida in between collecting water and throwing it outside on the slippery corridor.
There were cracks on the mud wall; the so-called extension of the house, otherwise used as the kitchen, was out of bounds since a portion of the ceiling was missing, and rains meant she couldn't cook on the earthen chula. The wood stock was wet, and dried leaves were rain-drenched. "We don't have gas, can't afford one. But on days when it pours heavily, we have no choice but to survive only on puffed rice and biscuits," added Sahida.
Nazrul Laskar is a tailor by profession. He earns nearly Rs 5000 every month, too much for a family of four. He has applied for PMAY 4 times in the past several years but never got a house. "Last time in 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, I was told that we would get the money for our house. Another Lok Sabha election is around the corner, and I am yet to receive the money. The Central Government doesn't care for us. I wonder if it's because of my religion I am denied a house. We all know the Modi Government isn't kind towards Muslims. 100-Day work has stopped, and now the house is elusive too. This is what it takes to be born poor and live a life of dignity," said Nazrul. He showed us the little corner where he does the stitching work; there was a gas cylinder parked like an added piece of furniture in the house with no utility. With the rise in ready-made factories, the income of a local tailor like him has been dwindling with each passing day.
A massive political fight has erupted between TMC and BJP over centrally funded social security schemes, including 100-day work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PM-Awas). TMC has claimed that the Centre has stopped the funds, thereby depriving millions of poor and eligible beneficiaries. BJP, on the other hand, has alleged large-scale corruption and misappropriation of funds by Mamata Banerjee's government, the reason why the funding has been blocked. TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, along with other leaders and ministers from Bengal, staged a dharna at the office of Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in New Delhi on Tuesday that also witnessed ruckus and detainment of the leaders after Police and Central forces forcibly removed them. TMC alleged their leaders were manhandled and called it a "Dark day" in Indian democracy. "They have manhandled our female leaders; our tribal minister was dragged and removed. But worst was they assaulted the poor beneficiaries who were there with us and whose cause we are committed to fight. The fall of this arrogant BJP government is inevitable," said Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday night after being released from the police station.
In West Bengal, according to the state government, at least 37 lakh people are eligible beneficiaries of PMAY, a scheme that guarantees a 'pucca house' to the poor and homeless. The Central government had previously approved 11 lakh 34 thousand beneficiaries for this housing scheme, according to the state government, but the situation has taken a political turn as funds for the program have been halted, leading to widespread frustration among poor people eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of their dreams of owning a home. "TMC has been looting public money. We have not blocked the funding, but we have blocked the stealing of people's money meant for their schemes. Central teams have audited and found anomalies," said Suvendu Adhikari, BJP Leader of Opposition, West Bengal, who held a press conference in New Delhi as a counter to the two-day TMC demonstration against the central government in the national capital.
The PM-Awas Yojna was designed to provide affordable housing to economically disadvantaged individuals across India, aiming to ensure "Housing for All" by 2022. However, in West Bengal, this dream seems to be slipping away due to political wrangling between the TMC and the Central government. "We don't know who is speaking the truth. The state is blaming the Centre, and the BJP is blaming Mamata Banerjee's government. For us, the only truth is we are suffering in this monsoon as we have in the past, living under the broken roof and with broken lives, further shattered by promises, promises," Nazrul lamented.
As we were about to leave, Sahida showed us the chinks in the mud walls. The house desperately needs repair, but with little to no money in hand, it is a wait for the family. How long will the dilapidated mud walls hold the thatched roof that has aged heavier with dust, moisture, shallowness, and apathy? "PM Modi gives 'guarantees.' PM-Awas guaranteed us a house. But the wait for it has only guaranteed us despair and misery," Sahida signed off.