Write letter thanking PM: Madhya Pradesh government to Awas Yojana beneficiaries

The Madhya Pradesh government has asked all beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme in the state to write a letter to Prime Miner Narendra Modi, thanking him for “bringing happiness” to their lives, a senior government official familiar with the development said on Thursday. The government has also asked the beneficiaries to allow fitment of a ceramic tile with pictures of PM Modi and chief miner Shivraj Singh Chouhan in their homes, the official added requesting anonymity. The move is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Madhya Pradesh government’s initiative to inform the Centre about the number of houses built for the poor in the state and highlight the success of the scheme. To provide uniformity to the letters sent to the PM, state’s panchayati raj department has directed drict panchayat officials to provide a letter’s format to the beneficiaries. “Thank You Prime Miner Narendra Modiji. You brought happiness to our lives. Earlier, we used to live in the kutcha house and used to face many problems but now all the problems ended after we started living in pucca house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Scheme. Yours truly beneficiary of the scheme,” read the letter’s format, as informed panchayat secretaries to HT. The letter is voluntary but panchayat secretaries have been asked to ensure 100% participation, another official familiar with the development told HT. Launched on June 25, 2015, PMAY is a Union government’s initiative to provide affordable housing to the urban poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses March 31, 2022. In Madhya Pradesh, so far at least 1.2 million houses have been built under the scheme. So far, nearly 100,000 postcards have already been sent to the Prime Miner, government officials said. A panchayati raj department official familiar with the development said an order regarding the letter and ceramic tile was issued the chief miner in a video conference held in January first week. Based on the CM’s directions, the department has sent a letter to all chief executive officers of drict panchayats to ask the beneficiaries of the housing scheme to convey their feelings of receiving a pucca house to the PM, the official added. “Similarly, a congratulatory letter signed the chief miner will be handed over to each beneficiary,” the department official said. The first official cited above said soon a ceramic tile having a picture of Modi and Chouhan will be fitted in the kitchen of each house built under the scheme. A similar drive undertaken earlier had to be stopped after a journal was moved to the Madhya Pradesh high court in 2018 as it can influence voters. In April 2018, the state government released an order in this regard but in September a journal moved the court, which asked for a compliance report. The state government informed the court that it had withdrawn the order due to the assembly elections in December 2018. Meanwhile, CEOs of drict panchayats said they have asked drict officers and panchayat secretaries to inform the beneficiaries under their jurisdictions about the government decision to send the letter. “We have received a letter from the head office. About 4,000 beneficiaries have already sent letters to the PM. As this is a voluntary initiative, only those who are literate have written the letter. If others also want to write a letter, we will help them,” said Saloni Sidana, CEO Jabalpur drict panchayat. A panchayat secretary from Eintkhedi, Gulab Singh said, “I have been asked to ensure all the beneficiaries of my panchayat write a letter to the Prime Minster. I have provided a basic format and also address of the PMO. We are providing assance to those facing difficulty in writing letter.” To avoid any controversy, panchayat secretaries have also been deputed to check the letters and postcards before posting them. “After writing the letter, the beneficiary submits it to us. We check the letter before sending it to the PMO. Some have also described their problems of living in a kutcha house in detail, but most follow the format we have provided,” said PR Singh, a panchayat secretary from Gwalior. Opposition Congress and social activs, meanwhile, termed it a “forced appreciation”. State Congress committee spokesperson Syed Jaffar said, “They wanted to keep the beneficiaries under an obligation that they have done a favour providing houses to them. The miners in the central government have not used their income but the money paid common people in the form of taxes. So, what kind of thank do they deserve? This is nothing but to prove their supremacy among the poor.” Rakesh Diwan, a Bhopal-based social activ, said the initiative aims at influencing people. “The BJP-led state government wants to show to the beneficiaries that they have done a favour introducing the scheme. Why only thanks letter, they should have also asked the beneficiaries to send a letter of the problems they have faced during demonitisation and corruption in various government schemes. This is a very bad practice to influence people,” Diwan added.

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She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries.
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