The PMAY-G beneficiary list has triggered protests across Buxar district, with villagers and public representatives alleging that eligible poor families were excluded while financially better-off households were included in the provisional list. Officials said the selection process was incomplete and that objections would be examined before the final list was prepared.
The protests were held at block offices on Monday after the draft list was published, prompting resentment in several panchayats. Villagers demanded a fresh review of the list, an impartial inquiry into the verification process and greater transparency in field inspections.
At the Dumraon block office, the protest was led by Mungav panchayat mukhiya Indal Singh and attended by public representatives, social activists and villagers. Protesters alleged that families living in poor conditions had been left out, while some households with permanent concrete and multi-storey houses had been included in the list.
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. Protesters also sought the disclosure of photographs and geo-tagging data collected during verification, saying these records could establish whether physical inspections had been conducted properly.
The protesters 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 led to resentment. Former Ojha Baraon panchayat mukhiya Vinod Kumar Ojha said the large number of exclusions had raised concerns among villagers and led to demands for 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 district. 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 the verification process 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, the administration would examine the allegations and objections before finalising the list, officials said.
The gram sabha process is intended to give villagers an opportunity to challenge exclusions and inclusions before the final PMAY-G beneficiary list is issued. The administration’s review of the objections and the completion of the gram sabha process are the next steps in the selection exercise.
