Shimla: In a move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the selection of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin, the Directorate of Rural Development, Himachal Pradesh has introduced the post-deletion module in the Awaas+ system for the systematic finalisation of the Permanent Wait List (PWL).

The initiative has been launched in accordance with the directions issued by the Ministry of Rural Development to ensure a fair, transparent and technology-driven process for identifying eligible beneficiaries under the rural housing scheme.

A spokesperson of the department said that after the completion of the deletion process, the newly introduced module enables Gram Sabhas to review the system-generated priority list, verify beneficiary details and recommend corrections wherever required, based on the prescribed eligibility and prioritisation criteria.

To strengthen transparency, every modification made to the priority list must be supported by mandatory reasons, all of which are recorded within the system for audit and verification purposes.

The module also incorporates several digital safeguards, including geo-tagged photographs of Gram Sabha meetings, auto-generated proceedings, authentication through signatures and stamps of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), and AI-based validation of uploaded documents to ensure the authenticity of the process.

The spokesperson said that eligible households whose names are not included in the Gram Sabha-approved list will have the opportunity to file an appeal before the District Appellate Committee, as provided under the scheme’s guidelines.

Once all appeals have been disposed of, the finalised Permanent Wait List will serve as the basis for the sanctioning of houses under PMAY-G.

The Directorate has directed all Deputy Commissioners, District Development Officers, Block Development Officers and Panchayati Raj Institutions across Himachal Pradesh to complete the entire exercise, in accordance with the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), ensuring timely finalisation of the beneficiary list for the housing scheme.