A large-scale fraud has been reported in Prayagraj under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), where over 9,000 beneficiaries allegedly availed financial assistance of ₹1.20 lakh each despite already owning houses. The assistance, meant for economically weaker families to build homes, was reportedly (as per News 18 Hindi) claimed through fake documents and misrepresentation.
Under the scheme, eligible families are entitled to receive ₹1.20 lakh in three installments to construct a home. However, a post-disbursement survey revealed that thousands of recipients had already built houses, some even two-storeyed. In the Shankargarh block alone, 3,127 beneficiaries failed to construct any structure after receiving the first installment, with local inquiries confirming that they did not require a new house. Authorities have now initiated recovery proceedings and legal action against those involved, while an inquiry has also been ordered into the role of officials who approved such applications.
The irregularities extend beyond PMAY. Investigations have uncovered fraud of over ₹40 lakh in various pension schemes, including those run by the Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, and Disabled Welfare departments. In the widow pension scheme, more than 100 women who had either remarried or passed away a year ago were still receiving benefits, leading to wrongful payments of over ₹12 lakh. Similarly, in the old-age pension scheme, at least 2,351 out of 1.53 lakh beneficiaries were found to be deceased, yet their pensions continued to be drawn by families.
Officials admitted that recovery of such payments is difficult due to the absence of mechanisms in the current rules. District Program Officer Sarvjeet Singh said pensions were transferred to correct accounts, but there is no system to withdraw funds once credited. District Social Welfare Officer Ram Shankar also acknowledged that existing provisions lack the scope for reclaiming wrongly disbursed payments.
The revelations expose systemic lapses in verification, monitoring, and recovery processes, raising questions over transparency and accountability in welfare schemes. Experts say stricter checks, robust audits, and reforms are urgently needed to prevent misuse of public funds.
