Ranchi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Friday said it has introduced a beneficiary-level geo-tag app to ensure timely and transparent disbursement of instalments under its housing scheme - 'Abua Awas'.

The new app allows beneficiaries to geo-tag their under-construction homes, providing real-time updates on the progress of construction.

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Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh emphasised that the mobile application would enhance transparency and prevent irregularities in the instalment payment process, an official statement said.

It said the app would ensure that funds are disbursed only when construction milestones are met.

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"Each approved beneficiary under the 'Abua Awas Yojana' will receive financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh, which is disbursed in four instalments.

The app will enable beneficiaries to update their housing progress, and payments will be linked to verified construction stages," the statement said.

To further streamline the payment process, beneficiaries in each panchayat will be grouped into sets of four, the statement said, adding a fixed schedule has also been introduced, with any pending instalments to be disbursed on a designated Wednesday each month, ensuring regularity in payments.

Rural Development Secretary K Srinivasan instructed all deputy commissioners and deputy development commissioners to work closely with village organisations (VOs) managed by the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) to support housing construction at the gram panchayat level.

He emphasised that ensuring transparency in the instalment distribution process is a top priority of the government.

"The app is available for download on the Google Play Store or via the 'Abua Awas Yojana' portal. Upon installation, beneficiaries will receive an OTP for verification. For geo-tagging to be enabled, beneficiaries are required to update their registered mobile numbers in the block login system.

"The panchayat sevak will verify the geo-tagged data within seven days. Submissions will either be approved or rejected based on the verification, with reasons provided for any rejection," the statement said. --

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)