Benefit under Indira Awas Yojana denied for being a bachelor – RTI reply
1 Jun, 2013An application was filed by an applicant from Bihta, Bihar under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the cause of the applicant being denied the benefits under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).
The Indira Awas Yojana aims to provide financial assistance of Rs 70,000 to the below poverty line (BPL) people residing in rural areas for construction of a house. Conditions of benefits include one’s name on the BPL list and no concrete house available for him.
The reply to the application was accompanied with a list of beneficiaries which included the applicant’s name. However, the reply stated that the benefit could not be extended to the applicant as he was a bachelor.
Following the reply, the applicant attended the weekly durbar arranged by the district magistrate of Patna with all the papers and the RTI reply. He also alleged that many people who already possess a house are on the beneficiaries list. Surprised at the reply, the district magistrate called up the concerned block development officer (BDO) and ordered him to provide the benefit of the scheme to the applicant in the next IAY camp.