SHILLONG, March 10: The Opposition on Thursday cast aspersions on the state government’s failure to address ‘technical issues’ in the process to include beneficiaries in Awaas Plus — an app to conduct survey and identify people who are exempted from the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) benefits.
It questioned the government as to why should the poor and eligible beneficiaries suffer due to a department’s problem of not being able to include the eligible ones in the list of Awaas Plus.
Opposition Chief Whip, George B Lyngdoh, said that the figure of 948, submitted by the department of Bhoimrymbong block, took him aback as the numbers were actually much more.
“In the ground, those families which have already surveyed and fulfilled all required criteria are not making into the list and genuine, poor families are deprived and running pillar to post to get their due share,” Lyngdoh said, asking the reason behind the non-inclusion of beneficiaries in the list.
In his reply, Community and Rural Development Hamletson Dohling said limited time was provided to the state to complete the interior service, conduct door-to-door survey and enter data in the app.
The minister went on to say that that the staff, in the course, were faced with technical issues and unstable internet connectivity while using the app. Dohling said the issues were faced not in one but other districts too.
An irked Opposition Chief Whip then argued that such technical issues are the problem of the department and not of the beneficiaries. “I strongly urge the Minister to kindly look into the matter as thousands of families are being deprived because of technical issues in the department,” Lyngdoh said.
Meanwhile, replying to a query raised by the Opposition Chief Whip, Dohling informed that the total number of units and households that have been shortlisted and included under Awaas Plus is 1,59,237. On the other hand, the total number of units/households identified but not surveyed/uploaded for inclusion in Awaas Plus is 7,851.