TNI Bureau: The ‘Focus Panchayat’ scheme of the government, which ascertains an Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) to every deserving dwellers of a panchayat irrespective of enlisted in the BPL, APL or Antadwaya list, has failed in Malkangiri district. While some of the deserving people in the Niliguda Panchayat have already died without getting benefit of the scheme, a physically handicapped woman is still struggling to get one, but in vain.

Niliguda Panchayat in the Padia block of Malkangiri district has been enlisted as a ‘Focus Panchayat’ wherein every deserving citizen should get a house under the IAY. But in reality, some persons have not got the benefit yet, while some of them are already dead.

Gangi Madhi (40) is a helpless poor woman from village Dharampalli in the Niliguda panchayat. She had received a sum of Rs. 5,000 during tenure of the last district Collector in Malkangiri. But the lady has not received any more amounts after that and living in utmost poverty. She had managed to construct the foundation of the house, with the money given earlier.

About the rest payment, the concerned authorities have said that being a woman from the APL category, she is not entitled to get the benefit. People are discussing, then how come she got the prior amount? Now she has with her only the work order and the pass book, but not any money.

Similarly, Unki Khurami (50), another man from the same village from the Antordaya list has not got a single pie but only the passbook and a work order.

Only 5 people, out of the 25 BPL holders have been given Rs. 15,000 each and nobody else have got any money in the same village under the scheme.

From all these statistics, it is pretty clear that the scheme although is intended to provide benefit to the poor and deserving people, in practicality the scheme can be said to have been failed in Malkangiri district.