Centre releases Rs 1,400 crore fund to West Bengal under PMAY

Kolkata, Nov 30 (IANS) The Union government has released Rs 1,400 crore to West Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, a day after the Trinamool Congress-government alleged Centre's apathy, sources said.

The information surfaced just a day after the treasury bench moved a motion on the floor of the state Assembly on Friday accusing the Union government of denying Central funds under various centrally sponsored schemes on the fifth day of the ongoing winter session of the House.

Sources in the state government said that the last time central funds under the PMAY scheme were released was in 2022. There have been several allegations of irregularities in the allotment of houses under the scheme in West Bengal and during the last few months, there have been several instances of protests in different pockets in the state on this issue.

Even on Friday, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress of indulging in massive irregularities in house allotment under PMAY.

Suvendu Adhikari also claimed that Trinamool's panchayat chief at Beldanga in Murshidabad district was allotted 17 houses under the scheme.

As per protocol, while the Union government bears 60 per cent of the expenditure under the PMAY scheme, the remaining 40 per cent has to be borne by the state government.

In October this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the inauguration of the new passenger terminal building and Maitri Dwar at Land Port at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, also alleged massive financial irregularities in the implementation of different central schemes.

The Union home minister alleged that the funds provided under different centrally-sponsored schemes like MGNREGA and PMAY do not reach genuine beneficiaries. "Only those associated with Trinamool Congress are benefited out of those funds," he said.

--IANS

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