Modi to hand over keys of houses to PMAY beneficiaries in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and interact with them at popular temple town Shirdi in Maharashtra on October 19, an official said Tuesday.

Modi will be present at the e-griha pravesh ceremony for 40,000 beneficiaries of the affordable housing scheme of the government, he said.

The prime minister will also participate in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust.

Modi is also expected to perform ground breaking ceremony for some projects of the trust, including the new "darshan" queue shelter to be constructed in the Sai temple, the official said.

President Ram Nath Kovind was in Shirdi earlier this month to inaugurate the centenary programme.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde Tuesday claimed that the state government is spending Rs 2 crore to bring beneficiaries for the October 19 function.

The state government has allocated Rs 2 crore and given targets for its officers to identify and escort the beneficiaries to the event, Munde claimed.

"None of the government schemes are reaching the target group. So now they've opted for false promotion of the schemes, with elections approaching," he alleged.

"In fact, PMAY is merely the old Indira Awas Yojana combined with a few other schemes and rechristened. Its implementation has been such that they are having to search for beneficiaries now. Also given the drought situation, why are government funds being spent on such propaganda?" he said.

Munde said the Rural Development Department, headed by his estranged cousin Pankaja Munde, was spending government money to arrange food and travel of those attending the event and for putting up banners on buses.