11 married women in UP run away with lovers after receiving PM Awas Yojana money, reports

Around 11 married women, native to Uttar Pradesh, reportedly ran away with their lovers after they received the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) money. The scheme helps poor and lower middle-class families build permanent houses. 

These women, all hailing from the state's Maharajganj district, reportedly took the first instalment of Rs 40,000 under the scheme and left their husbands only to run away with the people they were having an affair with. The husbands of these women have also filed an FIR of the incident.

Some 2,350 recipients in the Maharajganj district recently got funds under the PMAY program, according to News18. The villages of Thuthibari, Sheetlapur, Chatia, Ramnagar, Bakul Diha, Khasra, Kishunpur, and Medhauli are allegedly home to the beneficiaries.

According to certain media reports, officials have decided to stop paying the recipients' second instalment as a result of this occurrence.

As a part of the PMAY scheme, the government provides a subsidy of up to Rs 2.5 lakh to these poorer families, which varies from family to family in accordance with their incomes. However, if the concerned authorities spot any issues or problems with the family provided with the money, they can ask for the amount back from the beneficiaries. 

This is not the first time such a bizarre incident took place in Uttar Pradesh. There have been several instances in the past where women ran away with their lovers. Last year itself, around four married women ran away with their lovers after they received Rs 50,000 as a part of the PMAY scheme. 

The incident was flagged when the authorities managing the PMAY scheme found out that the construction of the houses had not begun. These authorities had also sent notices to these families, however they didn't receive any response from their end. As a part of further investigations, the District Urban Development Agency had sent the husbands of the four women a notice asking for the situation on ground.