Vidisha: women protest outside Janpad; didn't get house under PMAY-G

The Janpad office of Parsaura village on Thursday- saw several women gathering to demonstrate against the non-implementation of PM Awas Yojana (PMAY). The village falls in the Sironj town of Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh. 

Why are women protesting?

The women said that despite being enlisted as beneficiaries, they have not received housing under PMAY. This has forced them to continue living in crumbling houses. Monsoons have only worsened their condition. The women complained that the money (Rs. 1000 per month) they receive under the Ladli Behana Yojana is scanty and inadequate to make ends meet. 

It was led by the state secretary of Madhya Pradesh Congress, Surendra Raghuwanshi. Raghuwanshi told the media that the protesting women had participated in all public hearings for the last three weeks but their issues were not addressed. 

Local reports said that the protest went on for 2 hours in front of the Janpad Office. The tehsildar of Sironj town reached out to the protesting women. The protest dissolved only after he assured them that a camp would be organised to resolve their issues on Friday. 

Attention must be paid to the fact that the protest happened against the backdrop of the state government’s much-eulogised Vikas Parv. It must be noted that CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has portrayed the Ladli Behana scheme as a game changer for the poor and lower-middle-class women of the state during his rallies. He also vowed to gradually increase the amount to Rs. 3000 per month. 

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin

The  PMAY-G aims at providing a pucca house, with basic amenities, to all houseless and those households living in kutcha and dilapidated houses, by 2022. A willing beneficiary is to be facilitated to avail of institutional finance up to Rs.70,000. This would be monitored through the State, District and Block-level Bankers Committees. The beneficiary is entitled to 90.95 person-days of unskilled labour from MGNREGS.

The official website of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin claims that 80-100% of the houses have been sanctioned and completed in Madhya Pradesh. The question that arises then is why have these women not got houses to date.  No answers are available. The policy of saturation would stand the test of time only when the projects see on-ground implementation. The role of civil society in holding the government accountable becomes increasingly important here.

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