The Pioneer 25.08.2010
Housing scheme for poor has few takers
Rajendra S Markuna | Haldwani
The much-talked about Deen Dayal Housing Scheme seems to have few takers as the completion of necessary formalities to apply for a house under this scheme has turned out to be a tedious job for the needy.
The scheme is basically meant for people in the low income strata or below poverty line (BPL) category. But to obtain a low income certificate from the local authorities seems to have become tougher than acquiring a house for them.
“There are around 400 families in Nainital city who manage their source of livelihood by doing some household jobs. Obviously they belong to the lower income group. But the reality is that only about a dozen such people have BPL cards, which is a must to prove that an applicant belongs to lower income group and only then he/she will become eligible for a house under this scheme,” local MLA Kharak Singh Vora told The Pioneer.
So one can imagine how a needy who don’t have a roof over his head can apply for a house under one of the most ambitious programmes of the Government without completing the necessary formalities, wondered the Vora.
Vora is a ruling party MLA. But his concerns about such administrative obstacles only reflect the insensitivity on part of the local administration.
It’s the duty of the local SDM or BDO to issue BPL cards. But the fact is that these officials are already so burdened with other works that they don’t have time to look into these issues, Vora added.
He suggested that the Government should give this responsibility to other officials so that necessary formalities could be done on time.
Otherwise this ambitious scheme won’t serve any purpose here, Vora said adding that completion of these formalities on time was vital in places like Nainital and other hill districts as there was hardly six months to execute these schemes before the end of the financial year.
“This is a hundred per cent State Government run scheme and the local MLA need not contribute anything financially to this. But being local representatives our role is vital to help the needy get a house,” Vora maintained.
So he has urged the Government to simplify this scheme so that the needy could avail the benfits. Under this scheme an urban poor can get a grant of `45,000 while those in rural areas the amount is fixed at Rs 48,500.
