Govt takeS steps for accountability in Indira Awas Yojana

Government is all set to make its public housing programme for rural poor more accountable at panchayat level with new draft guidelines suggesting "proactive" disclosure of details of beneficiaries and making social audit of the scheme a must.
The draft guidelines issued by the Rural Development Ministry say that the implementation of Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) should be informed to the local people through wall paintings or notice boards at the village panchayat level or by proactively giving details to all organisations of self help groups under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
The details should include the names and addresses of the beneficiaries selected, the norms used for selection, money each family is eligible and the amount dispensed and date of completion of the house.

The draft says no contractor should be involved in the construction of houses under the programme and the house is to be constructed by the beneficiary himself/herself.
Government has allocated Rs 15,184 crore in the budget for the scheme. Last year, it was Rs 11,075 crore.
It says that there should be a concurrent independent monitoring using Community Resource Persons, representatives of civil society organisations and students from higher secondary schools and colleges and photographs of every beneficiary should be taken in the front of existing house as well as in front of the new IAY house after construction.

As soon as house is constructed, the IAY logo should be embedded in the house indicating the month and year of start and completion of construction, amount spent and name of the beneficiary.

It says that information about beneficiaries and implementing officer at the block level with all the records of implementation of the scheme should be part of Social Audit process.
Construction of toilets under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) is mandatory and potable drinking water should be provided to all IAY households. It also says that electrification should be provided under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana or state schemes and in areas where there is no electricity, solar lights should be provided.