PMAY scam in Odisha: MP Aparajita Sarangi Raises Issue In Lok Sabha

Bhubaneswar: Expressing concerns over the slew of allegations of irregularities in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Odisha, BJP's Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Tuesday raised the issue in the Lok Sabha asking as to what action has the government taken against the 'corrupt' officials.

Replying to Sarangi's question, Union Rural Dev Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that Odisha government has submitted a report stating that irregularities surfaced in allotment of houses to 32 beneficiaries under the scheme. Based on that, one PEO was suspended for selection of four ineligible beneficiaries while FIR has been registered against three others in connection with the matter, he added.

On the other hand, Sarangi said that immediate action should have been taken when the issue was raised earlier. She further alleged that even though the matter was brought to the notice of the Odisha Panchayati Raj Minister, no action was taken.

"The State government launched an investigation and suspended one official. Besides, it filed FIR against three other officials, but what led to such a delayed action? Had there been an immediate investigation into the allegations, I would not have raised the issue in the Parliament," said Sarangi.

Earlier, Odisha Panchayati Raj Minister had informed the State Assembly that the government has so far taken action against as many as 101 officials for lapses in PMAY implementation - 22 officials dismissed, 44 put under suspension and disciplinary action taken against 35 officials.

He had further said that a verification of the PMAY beneficiary list will be done to ensure transparency and a new beneficiary list will be published by December 31, 2019.