At least 57,000 beneficiaries are set to be removed from the list of recipients under the housing scheme in West Bengal after their names were deleted from the state’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted in 2025, state Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh said on Thursday.
The state government’s decision follows a verification process aimed at identifying ineligible beneficiaries who were included in the housing scheme despite not meeting the required criteria. According to Ghosh, several individuals who had received benefits under the Awas Yojana were among those whose names were removed from the voter list during the SIR process.
Ghosh stated that around 91 lakh names were removed from West Bengal’s electoral rolls during the revision exercise. Out of these, nearly 57,000 individuals were found to have received financial assistance under the housing scheme. The government has now decided to remove their names from the beneficiary list, as they are considered ineligible to continue receiving benefits.
“Approximately 9.1 million names were deleted from the voters’ list during the SIR exercise in the state. Among them, around 57,000 people had received assistance under the Awas Yojana. They are not eligible to avail the funds, and their names will be removed from the scheme,” Ghosh said.
The minister also revealed that a further verification process had identified thousands of beneficiaries who allegedly received housing scheme funds despite being ineligible. Out of nearly 30 lakh beneficiaries who have already received financial assistance, around 12,500 individuals were found to have received the benefits improperly.
According to the state government, action has been initiated against these beneficiaries, and further investigations are underway to determine how the funds were released and who was responsible for approving their applications.
The government has also started efforts to recover money from those who allegedly received financial assistance without meeting eligibility requirements. Officials said the recovery process has already begun for around 1,000 such cases.
The development comes as authorities continue efforts to improve transparency and ensure that government welfare schemes reach only eligible beneficiaries. The verification drive is expected to prevent misuse of public funds and strengthen monitoring mechanisms for rural housing programmes.
The Awas Yojana is designed to provide financial assistance for housing construction to eligible families, particularly those from economically weaker sections. The latest action by the West Bengal government highlights its focus on reviewing beneficiary databases and removing discrepancies identified during administrative checks.
Officials said further scrutiny of beneficiary records may lead to additional action if more cases of irregularities are detected in the housing scheme.