In Reality, They Live Under Plastic, On Paper, They Own Permanent Homes

It is said that the government is for the poor. But when the paper itself refuses to reflect the poverty, where do they go?

In a village in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, every villager has a "pucca house" - but, only on paper. In Akouna village, while plastic sheets and mud walls are still trying to hold up dreams, official records mark its residents as "beneficiaries" of government housing schemes. This is where the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has allegedly collapsed under its paperwork.

A walk through Akouna would show one a sea of thatched roofs and mud homes - houses that barely survive monsoon winds. However, these fragile shelters have been marked as "completed pucca houses" in the government databases. Villagers say they have been waiting for years - some for over a decade - for their "pucca" houses despite them being initially approved.

After NDTV's report, an investigation has been initiated into the alleged housing scam, on the instructions of the District Panchayat CEO. As per sources, a probe team will submit its report within the next two to three days.

Rajesh Kewat, a resident, says his name was on the housing list. Then it disappeared. "The name was there... some cuts were made, but the money never came. It's always the rich who get it, not the poor," he told NDTV.

His home, like many others, is a crumbling two-room mud structure where dreams and despair live together.

Rajkumar Kewat stands under a foil-sheet roof that leaks water during the rains and barely blocks the sun. Officially, though, he is a proud owner of a pucca house.

"If I have a permanent house, then show me where it is - I'll go live there," he said with a dry smile.

Kaushal Kewat, another resident, said his mud house hasn't changed in years, "but the Panchayat must've found my dreams too permanent." He, too, was deleted from the eligibility list without explanation.

Manas Kewat's house is barely large enough to sleep in. The stove fumes fill the only room; light comes not from electricity but from hope."They keep changing names between eligible and ineligible - but they never tell us why. It's arbitrary," he said.

Ritu Singh sees with one eye. Her husband Ashok sees with none. But for the last 13 years, they've seen one thing very clearly - they do not exist in the eyes of the administration. "They promise every year, but nothing comes. There's no place even to sit," she said, sitting under a tin roof held down by bricks.

Another woman broke down in frustration. "They lose our papers, ask for money, then tell us we're ineligible. We don't even have land to grow 2 kg of grain," she said.

Ironically, Umakant Singh, a man with a tractor, landholding, and a concrete house, has received benefits under PMAY. Why? The villagers alleged it's the "will of the administration ". In Akouna, eligibility seems to be measured not by the roof over your head, but by the reach of your influence. Similarly, Dharamraj Tiwari and Venkatesh Singh were given the benefits despite being declared ineligible. On the other hand, the money sanctioned in the name of Lala Adivasi was allegedly given to someone else. He has registered a complaint regarding this through the CM Helpline.

Anurag Singh, a panch from Akouna, accepts the flaw: "It's an administrative mistake. The Panchayat made the poor eligible, but the administration reversed it. There's no accountability."

Shraddha Singh, the Sarpanch, says: "I've raised complaints with the collector. I want houses for the poor, but I don't understand why the rich want to be counted as poor, too. Nothing has changed."

NDTV accessed official data, which paints a picture of stalling and silence. 24,516 houses were approved under PMAY in 2025-26 in Satna, and 5,387 houses have not received even the first instalment. Only 2,186 houses have been completed. Thousands of files remain stuck between the second and fourth instalments.

The gap between file and field is enormous - and growing.

Meanwhile, a probe team reached the Akouna Gram Panchayat on Saturday to investigate the alleged scam. Led by Block Program Officer Mahesh Sharma, the team from Rampur Baghelan Janpad inspected houses that were allegedly allotted to ineligible beneficiaries by the panchayat. During the site visit, the team reportedly found several discrepancies. Records have also been summoned in connection with the allotment of PMAY houses to ineligible persons.

"We went to investigate the housing scheme, focusing on the individuals highlighted in your report. We visited every house - we have photos to support it. It's only fair that eligible people receive the benefit, not those who are ineligible," BPO Mahesh Sharma told NDTV.

Not The First Time In Satna

Three years ago, NDTV had reported on "ghost houses" in Satna - houses approved in the names of the dead, money disbursed to accounts that never received homes. Toilets, wells, and roofs vanished into contractor accounts.

And still, the scams continue. The PMAY, a flagship program in the name of the Prime Minister, is being undermined - not just by corruption, but by apathy.