The West Bengal government has ordered 11,000 beneficiaries found ineligible for the West Bengal Awas scheme to return the first instalment of ₹60,000 by 30 November, while proposing a CID investigation into 57,000 alleged fictitious beneficiaries identified during verification, Anandabazar reported.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued the warning at a government event at Nabanna on Friday, where the second instalment of housing assistance was transferred to 7,00,171 beneficiaries through RTGS. The payment totalled ₹4,201.026 crore, with 180 beneficiaries attending the event in person and others joining virtually.
According to the report, a recent verification exercise found that 12,000 people on the beneficiary list did not meet the eligibility rules for government housing assistance. The first instalment had already reached their bank accounts. Of these, 1,000 beneficiaries have returned the money, while the remaining 11,000 have been given the 30 November deadline.
Adhikari warned that those who fail to return the funds could face legal action. “You have to return the money because you are not an eligible beneficiary,” he was quoted as saying. The recovery order places the focus on how beneficiaries were selected and how payments were released before the verification process was completed.
The verification exercise also identified 57,000 beneficiaries who allegedly did not exist in reality. The report said government money may have been transferred through accounts opened in the names of deceased or relocated people. The chief minister said legal action would be taken and called for an investigation into how ₹60,000 reached each of these accounts and who had recommended the names.
A special investigation team may be formed for the inquiry, with the Criminal Investigation Department expected to investigate the alleged irregularities. The government also said officials found responsible for negligence or involvement would face departmental action. Chief Secretary Manoj Agrawal said benefits outside the eligibility criteria amounted to corruption and that the government would not tolerate such practices.
The payment announced on Friday takes the total assistance released during the current phase of the West Bengal Awas scheme to around ₹10,323 crore for nearly 17.21 lakh eligible rural households. The first phase, conducted on 6 August, covered 10,20,379 beneficiaries and involved payments of approximately ₹6,122 crore.
The programme was earlier known as Banglar Bari and was renamed West Bengal Awas. In addition to housing assistance, beneficiaries are expected to receive wages for 90 to 95 days of work under the Viksit Bharat Ji Ramji programme and ₹12,000 for toilet construction under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The combined support for house construction was described at the event as approximately ₹1.5 lakh.
The government also announced measures linked to construction costs and household services. District magistrates were instructed to monitor brick and sand prices, with beneficiaries expected to receive sand within a range of ₹1,000 to ₹1,200. The government plans to connect housing beneficiaries with the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar scheme for subsidised solar power. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries are to receive an additional ₹15,000 from the state, according to the report.
The chief minister also said a committee led by retired judge Biswajit Basu had been formed to address corruption and wastage of public funds. The state Anti-Corruption Branch, described as inactive for a long period, has also been reactivated. The government’s next steps include recovering funds from the remaining ineligible beneficiaries and proceeding with the proposed investigation into the 57,000 allegedly fictitious names.
