Madhya Pradesh Tribals Allege Corruption In PM Modi's Flagship Housing Scheme

Several villagers backed up the claim, alleging that local panchayat officials falsely geo-tagged the picture of a different house built elsewhere.

Members of the Baiga tribe, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the government, have been demanding pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a rural housing scheme for the poor. However, they allege that rampant corruption has left them with half-finished kutcha houses and little hope of receiving the full benefits of the central government's scheme. NDTV spoke to beneficiaries of the scheme in the tribal-dominated Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh.  कुछ दिनों पहले रीवा से बीजेपी सांसद जनार्दन मिश्रा ने कहा था, मोदीजी एक बार अपनी दाढ़ी को फटकारते हैं तो 50 लाख घर निकलते हैं। दोबारा दाढ़ी फटकारते हैं तो 1 करोड़ घर निकलते हैं.वहीं @ChouhanShivraj कोई गरीब घर से वंचित नहीं रहेगा यहां डबल इंजिन की सरकार है. pic.twitter.com/a4pAW9FJzE

Thatched roofs, and unplastered walls and floors, are a common sight in the Baiga dominated Gaura Kanhai village of Dindori, which is around 475 km from the state capital Bhopal.

One of the beneficiaries, Chote Lal Baiga, alleges that he had to bribe officials to get money sanctioned under the government scheme. "I had to pay Rs 14,000 as a bribe to the village panchayat secretary and forest department staff for getting the funds released for the house and getting wood for a thatched roof. The panchayat secretary even took away my rooster saying it is for the janpad panchayat CEO. I wanted that my house should be pucca house, but the village panchayat secretary told me to build it as a thatched house due to non-availability of construction material," he said. 

Several villagers backed up the claim, alleging that the local panchayat officials falsely geo-tagged the picture of a different house built somewhere else.