CM Mamata vows to fund 2.8 million rural homes amid PMAY blockade

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday the launch of the Banglar Bari scheme to provide financial assistance for housing in rural areas after the Centre stopped funding the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The initiative aims to build houses for 2.8 million families before the next state assembly elections in 2026.

Speaking at the launch event, Mamata Banerjee said, "We have identified around 2.8 million beneficiaries. For now, we have released funds to 1.2 million households. If the Centre doesn’t release the funds, we will ensure financial support for the remaining 1.6 million households by the start of 2026 in two phases."

• Under the scheme, each household will receive ₹1.2 lakh, distributed in two installments of ₹60,000, to build pucca houses in rural areas.
• The scheme replaces the PMAY, where the Centre previously contributed 60% of the funds while the state provided 40%.
• Allegations of corruption in 2022 prompted the Union government to halt PMAY funds for the state.

Mamata Banerjee criticized the Centre, stating, “For three years, the people of West Bengal have been deprived. Despite replying to at least 69 queries and providing all necessary documents, funds were not released.”

The launch of Banglar Bari comes amidst protests in districts like Purulia, West Burdwan, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas, and Birbhum, where villagers alleged corruption and nepotism in preparing the beneficiary list.

In October, demonstrations erupted outside BDO and panchayat offices, with villagers accusing authorities of dropping deserving beneficiaries to favor individuals with links to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Responding to the allegations, Banerjee ordered a re-verification process. An extensive survey involving 27,000 teams reviewed 3.5 million families, resulting in a final beneficiary list of 2.8 million households.