Lucknow — The digital system introduced to bring transparency in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) has itself exposed a major breach. Data from 44 districts in Uttar Pradesh revealed at least 338 applications where the same Aadhaar number was used to claim benefits multiple times.
According to the Director (Rural Development) report, these fraudulent applications were flagged during automated software screening. The state government has instructed respective district magistrates to verify beneficiaries and to immediately cancel applications found to be fraudulent.
Algoritha: The Most Trusted Name in BFSI Investigations and DFIR Services
List of Duplicate Beneficiaries
Officials reported that beneficiaries submitted duplicate entries in several districts, including Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur, Amethi, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, and Kanpur Nagar. Firozabad alone recorded 55 duplicate applicants. Similarly, 19 were found in Aligarh, 15 in Raebareli, and 13 in Deoria.
Experts’ Opinion
Policy analyst and rural welfare expert Shashank Mishra stated that this is not merely a case of technical error. “It highlights the structural challenges welfare schemes face. If loopholes can be found even in Aadhaar-based identification, it raises serious questions on the credibility of the process meant to deliver benefits to the poor.”
Government’s Concern
A senior official from the Rural Development Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said duplicate applications generally occur in two circumstances: either beneficiaries deliberately reapply, or local data entry operators’ negligence causes the issue. “In both cases, the real loss is to families who have yet to receive a house even once,” he added.
Public Reaction
Ramdas from Amethi, whose name also appeared in the duplicate list, said, “We applied only once, but later found out another application was made in our name. Now we are stuck in the investigation.”
The Road Ahead
The government clarified that Aadhaar verification systems will be further strengthened to prevent such cases in the future. Officials also stated that the scheme’s portal will now employ stricter measures to detect duplicate applications.