No bribe, no house! What is the truth of JMM’s Abua scheme? Himanta Biswa Sarma surrounded Hemant Soren

The campaign for the second phase of Jharkhand elections is over. Voting will be held in the state on November 20 and the election results will be declared on November 23. Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is in the election fray with the issue of tribal rights and welfare. But questions are being raised on them. Has the party, which calls itself a strong voice of the tribals and protects their rights, been able to bring any concrete change in their lives during its tenure?

Hemant Soren’s government had made many schemes and promises for the tribal society, but did they implement them? What is the tribal society getting on the front of Abua Housing Scheme, land rights, education, health and employment?

BJP has cornered Hemant Soren government regarding Abua Housing Scheme. BJP’s co-in-charge for Jharkhand assembly elections Himanta Biswa Sarma has given a statement regarding this. He said, “Jharkhand government’s ‘Abua Awas Yojana’ has become ‘Babu Awas Yojana’. Unless you pay bribe, you will not get the house.

 

Abua Housing Scheme was started on 15 August 2023. Then Hemant Soren had promised that we will give our pucca roof to more than 25 lakh Jharkhandis through Abua Awas. Under this scheme, a promise has been made to provide a 3-room permanent house to the poor class of Jharkhand for Rs 2 lakh.

The objective of this scheme was to give their rights to the tribal community and provide them safe, affordable and good houses. But when we look at the reality of this scheme, it becomes clear that under the Hemant Soren government, the tribal community not only has to struggle for their rights, but many times they have to struggle to get benefits under this scheme. We are also forced to pay bribes.

Not only for the Abua Awas Yojana, but you will find videos of many such tribals on social media claiming that they have to pay bribe even for the PM Awas Yojana given by the Central Government.

State government figures claim that thousands of tribal families have been given houses under the Abua Housing Scheme. Under Jharkhand’s Abua Housing Scheme, approval has been given for construction of two lakh houses in the financial year 2023-24. During the review of Abua Housing Scheme in June 2024, it was informed that the amount of the first installment of 2 lakh houses sanctioned in the first phase under Abua Housing Scheme has been released. But the information about when these 2 lakh houses will be built has not been revealed yet.

Even on the official website of Abua Housing Scheme, information about how many houses have been built under it has not been given. It is written there that the state government is committed to provide permanent housing with basic facilities to all homeless and rural families living in dilapidated houses by the year 2026. Since the year 2016, about 16 lakh houses have been provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Rural (PMAY-G) and about 50 thousand houses have been built under the Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana.

 

Under the Hemant Soren government, many schemes were launched in Jharkhand in the name of tribal welfare, but the biggest hindrance in delivering the real benefits of these schemes is corruption. Even in the case of Abua Housing Scheme, the tribal community has been pushed into the cracks of bribery. Local officials, who are responsible for providing houses to the tribals, are finding themselves forced to work in exchange for bribes.

Several instances have come to light where tribal families revealed that they had to pay a specific amount to the authorities to get housing under the scheme. Without this, neither funds are released nor any progress is made for housing construction.

The reality on the ground of Abua Housing Scheme is completely different. Many tribal families, speaking on condition of anonymity in OneIndia Hindi’s ground report, say that not only do they have to go through lengthy bureaucratic processes to avail the benefits of the scheme, but at many places they also allege that even before the approval of housing, For this they have to pay bribe. This bribe is given to government officials, contractors and panchayat leaders so that they sanction funds for housing construction and make arrangements for timely completion of the work.

The answer to the question of how many houses were built under the Abua Housing Scheme is not clear at present. The state government had initially claimed that lakhs of tribal families would get houses under the scheme, but the data so far shows that the actual impact of the scheme has been very minimal. The situation on the ground looks different. People in most of the tribal areas are complaining that they did not get any real benefit from the scheme.

Under the Hemant Soren government, allegations have been made many times that huge corruption is taking place under the housing scheme in the state. Funds allocated under the scheme are being misused in collusion with contractors and government officials. In many areas, construction work is half-finished and has been done without quality monitoring. This raises the question how true and honest is the government’s commitment towards the tribal community. Due to the budget not being utilized properly, thousands of families have suffered losses, far from getting any benefits.

Corruption of officials is not only defeating the objective of the scheme but it is also putting the tribals into further hardship. At many places, allegations are being made that not only has the government wrongly distributed the amount allocated under the scheme, but many contractors and officials have taken advantage of the scheme to benefit themselves and their families. Tribal communities are also becoming victims of corruption due to lack of knowledge about paper and online processes.

Corruption of officials is not only defeating the objective of the scheme but it is also putting the tribals into further hardship. At many places, allegations are being made that not only has the government wrongly distributed the amount allocated under the scheme, but many contractors and officials have taken advantage of the scheme to benefit themselves and their families. Tribal communities are also becoming victims of corruption due to lack of knowledge about paper and online processes.

 

The rights that the tribal community was getting under the Abua Housing Scheme are also becoming victims of complete administrative negligence. It was observed in many areas that there was a severe lack of transparency in the entire process.

Most of the tribal families allege that they are not given any correct information about the scheme and they are kept entangled in paperwork and documentary matters for a long time. Then when they somehow get approval for housing, they have to bribe contractors or government officials to get the work done. This is not only a violation of the rights of the tribals, but it can also be seen as failure and negligence of the government.

Is Hemant Soren government cheating the tribals?

Hemant Soren government had made many announcements for the tribal community, but the government has somehow failed to implement these announcements. The government, which promised to protect the rights of the tribal community, is today putting the tribals in a position of paying bribes to get the same rights. This is not only a serious administrative failure, but it also amounts to betraying the tribal society.

Dissatisfaction is increasing among the tribal community against Hemant Soren government in the state of Jharkhand. Many of their demands are not being met and they are not getting any concrete benefits in the name of the scheme. They are feeling that instead of solving their problems, the government is violating their rights. This discontent has further strained the political environment of the state and protests and agitations have increased at many places.

Dissatisfaction is increasing among the tribal community against Hemant Soren government in the state of Jharkhand. Many of their demands are not being met and they are not getting any concrete benefits in the name of the scheme. They are feeling that instead of solving their problems, the government is violating their rights. This discontent has further strained the political environment of the state and protests and agitations have increased at many places.