Avinash Azad
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s ambitious initiative to provide 5 marlas of land to landless beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) has faced a major setback. Out of 3,673 applications, an overwhelming 2,727 have been rejected by the authorities, and only 498 beneficiaries have received land, 17 months after the scheme was announced.
The scheme, which was announced in November 2023 with the goal of assisting homeless and landless families in Jammu and Kashmir, has yielded disappointing results so far.
As per official data, District Rajouri recorded an alarming number of applications from landless and homeless families, with 1,289 individuals applying for the scheme. Following closely was District Anantnag, where 319 individuals submitted applications. However, no applications were received from Badgam and Shopian districts in the Kashmir region, raising concerns about awareness and outreach of the scheme in these areas.
In response to a query raised by MLA Kulgam, Mohd Yusuf Tarigami, the Jammu and Kashmir government disclosed that a total of 3,673 individuals from 20 districts of J&K applied under the Awaas Plus Category of PMAY-G. Shockingly, 2,727 applications were rejected by the authorities, leaving only 498 beneficiaries who have been allotted land, while 442 cases remain under consideration.
The high rejection rate has raised questions about the criteria used to assess eligibility and whether genuine beneficiaries are being left out due to bureaucratic hurdles. Sources within the administration indicate that many applications were turned down due to documentation issues, discrepancies in eligibility, and lack of verification of landlessness claims.
Despite the setback, the government has assured that extended families of existing beneficiaries will also be covered under the scheme. However, with such a high rejection rate and poor response in key districts, concerns are growing about the effectiveness of the initiative and whether it will truly achieve its intended objective of providing homes to the most vulnerable sections of society.
