Protests erupted at block offices across Bihar’s Buxar district on Monday over alleged irregularities in the provisional Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) beneficiary list, with villagers claiming that poor families had been excluded while better-off households were included. District officials said the list was not final and that objections would be examined before the selection process was completed.
The protests followed the publication of the draft list in several panchayats. Villagers and public representatives demanded a fresh review, an impartial inquiry and greater transparency in field verification. At the Dumraon block office, the protest was led by Mungav panchayat mukhiya Indal Singh and attended by public representatives, social activists and villagers.
The protesters alleged that some families living in poor conditions had been left out, while households with permanent concrete and multi-storey homes had been included. Kanjharua panchayat mukhiya Asgar Ali questioned the verification process and alleged that some housing assistants were relying on third parties instead of coordinating with elected panchayat representatives.
The protesters also sought access to photographs and geo-tagging data collected during verification. They said the records could help establish whether physical inspections had been carried out properly. At the end of the protest, they submitted a memorandum to the Dumraon block development officer, seeking a comprehensive review of the list and an impartial inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
In Chaugain block, the exclusion of 1,014 people from the provisional list also triggered resentment. Former Ojha Baraon panchayat mukhiya Vinod Kumar Ojha said the number of exclusions had raised concerns among villagers, who were demanding a review of the survey findings.
According to the District Rural Development Agency, 1,24,154 potential beneficiaries were identified during the initial survey across Buxar. After multiple levels of scrutiny, 40,087 people were found eligible under the prescribed criteria, while 84,067 names were excluded at different stages of verification.
DRDA director Arvind Kumar said gram sabhas were being held in panchayats to discuss the beneficiary lists and examine claims and objections raised by villagers. He said the list remained provisional and that verification had not yet been completed.
Deputy development commissioner Niharika Chhavi said the list had been generated using AI-based software and subsequently subjected to multi-level verification. In view of complaints from different areas, she said, the administration would examine the allegations and objections before finalising the list. Officials said the gram sabha process would give villagers an opportunity to raise objections and help ensure that eligible families were not left out of the final beneficiary list.
