The Congress-led Karnataka government has come under severe scrutiny after shocking data revealed abysmally low progress in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and other housing schemes across the state. According to official data, only 26 per cent of the targeted beneficiaries have been selected so far across Karnataka’s 31 districts, raising serious concerns about administrative inefficiency, mismanagement, and alleged corruption in the Housing Department.
Even more damning is the fact that zero progress has been recorded in Bangalore Urban, the home turf of Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, and only 28 per cent progress in Mysuru, the native district of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and senior ministers H.C. Mahadevappa and K. Venkatesh. Ironically, these are districts where the political stakes are the highest for the ruling Congress.
Disastrous performance despite tall promises
The state had set a target to identify 7,02,731 beneficiaries under PMAY. Of these, only 1,80,571 have been selected. The rest—a staggering 5,22,160 potential beneficiaries—are still left in the lurch. This performance is not only below expectation but a serious indictment of the Housing Department’s ability to deliver on basic welfare guarantees.
Districts like Udupi and Bangalore Urban have recorded virtually zero progress, with only one beneficiary selected from thousands of targets. Kodagu (1 per cent), Dakshina Kannada (2 per cent), and Ramanagara (9 per cent) also reflect a similar pattern of administrative apathy.
CM’s own district fails to deliver
What adds to the public frustration is the poor performance of Mysuru, the home district of the Chief Minister himself. With only 8,377 out of 30,366 beneficiaries selected, the district has recorded a paltry 28 per cent progress. This statistic is now being used by the opposition to attack the credibility of the CM’s leadership.
This failure becomes even more indefensible given the high-profile Housing Department meetings held at Vidhana Soudha just weeks ago under Siddaramaiah’s chairmanship, where implementation targets were discussed.
Corruption accusations deepen the crisis
The matter has been further inflamed by Congress MLA B.R. Patil’s admission of corruption in housing schemes. His home district, Kalburgi, has recorded only 34 per cent progress. Opposition parties have seized the opportunity to demand Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s resignation, calling his leadership “a disaster for the common man.”
Khan has attempted damage control with vague statements. Still, with zero progress in his home constituency and poor performance in his in-charge district of Vijayanagar (58%), questions about his accountability continue to mount.
Widespread underperformance
Across the state, district after district paints a grim picture:
- Belagavi: Target – 67,627 | Selected – 10,758 | Pending – 56,869
- Raichur: Target – 52,530 | Selected – 15,784 | Pending – 36,746
- Ballari: Target – 24,749 | Selected – 4,275 | Pending – 20,474
- Chikkamagaluru: Target – 3,016 | Selected – 694 | Pending – 2,322
- Bidar: Target – 42,750 | Selected – 17,121 | Pending – 25,629
Several other districts, including Tumkur, Haveri, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, and Dharwad, have made progress of less than 20 per cent. Even smaller districts, such as Chikkaballapur and Kolar, with comparatively lower targets, remain far from completion.
