Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday criticized the Tamil Nadu government in the Lok Sabha, alleging that despite receiving ₹608 crore from the Centre, the state has failed to deliver more than 5 lakh houses sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G).
Responding to a question from TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu during Question Hour, Chouhan said the state government has withheld 2.15 lakh completed houses from beneficiaries and left another 3.15 lakh incomplete, despite budgetary allocations. He further alleged that Tamil Nadu had also failed to conduct the 2024 survey meant to identify families still living in kaccha houses.
“It pains me to say this, but for more than a year, 2.15 lakh houses have not been handed over to the poor. Around 3.10 lakh houses remain incomplete, even though ₹608 crore has been disbursed. This is injustice—poor people are being betrayed,” Chouhan said, amid Opposition protests in Parliament.
The minister urged the state government to release 50,815 pending houses from the 2018 Awaas+ list, questioning whether Tamil Nadu’s reluctance stemmed from political concerns. “Do they have a problem because Modi’s name will come forward? Poor people should not suffer due to politics,” he added.
Reiterating the scheme’s significance, Chouhan said PMAY-G not only provides homes for the poor but also generates rural employment and boosts local economies.
Launched in 2016, PMAY-G originally aimed to construct 2.95 crore houses by 2023-24. The target has since been extended, with 2 crore additional houses to be built under the extended phase (2024–29) at an outlay of ₹3,06,137 crore, including ₹54,500 crore for FY 2024-25.
