Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram- In a shocking reversal of policy, the Sriperumbudur Block Development Office has informed 85 impoverished Irula tribal families that they must now construct their own houses under the PM-JANMAN scheme, despite previous assurances that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds would cover the entire cost of construction. This sudden shift has plunged the already marginalized community into deeper distress, with families lacking even the most basic resources to begin building homes.
Irulas are one of the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in India. In the Northern Parts of Tamil Nadu, Irulas are in a considerable number.
The PM-JANMAN housing scheme's requirement for Irula tribal families to construct homes themselves before receiving staggered payments is fundamentally unviable due to their extreme poverty, illiteracy, and lack of access to resources. As daily wage laborers hardly earning ₹200-300, they cannot arrange the initial capital for construction materials, which are more expensive when purchased individually compared to bulk contractor rates. Without proper identity documents, they're ineligible for loans, and the remote location of their allotted lands makes daily construction supervision impossible. The scheme's payment structure - releasing funds only after completing each construction stage - offers no solution for families who lack even the basic means to begin building, rendering the promised ₹5.5 lakh assistance effectively inaccessible despite their desperate need for housing.
On the evening of 26th March (Wednesday) around 7:00 PM, officials from the Tirupperumbudur Block Development Office called and instructed 85 Irular tribal families from various parts of Tirupperumbudur to attend a meeting the next day, 27th March, at the Tirupperumbudur Block Development Office by 10:00 AM. They claimed the meeting would be about housing schemes.
"Calling 85 Irular tribal families for a meeting the very next day was unusual. Nevertheless, despite the challenge, from the moment the call came in, we worked until 11:30 PM that night to inform everyone about the meeting. The next morning, we further coordinated the gathering.
By 9:00 AM on 27th March 2025 (Thursday), people began arriving for the meeting. By 10 AM, everyone had gathered. Many had sacrificed a day’s wages to attend. Some came from villages without even bus facilities. Despite being told the meeting would start at 10 AM, the people waited for two hours without even a drop of water while government officials kept them waiting.
Finally, at 12PM, the meeting began presided by the Project Director of the Kanchipuram District Rural Development Agency. The officials informed the 85 Irular tribal families that under the PM-JANMAN scheme, the government would provide funds, but the families would have to construct their own houses. This came as a massive shock to us", Kavitha Thandhoni, the President of Sriperumbudur Irula People Welfare Association said.
"Of these 85 families, 44 families were allotted land in Kadrambakkam village under the Tirupperumbudur Panchayat Union in November 2021. Under the Kalaignar’s Dream Housing Scheme, houses were supposed to be allocated to them by October 2024. Since beneficiaries under this scheme are required to contribute financially, we had been demanding that the government build the houses through CSR funds and hand them over. The government had earlier agreed to this but has now gone back on its word, creating immense confusion", Kanniyammal said.
"Telling our Irular tribal people, whose livelihoods are already uncertain, to build their own houses when they can barely manage their daily lives is a grave social injustice. Since the day the land pattas were issued, we have been demanding that the government itself construct and hand over the houses. After waiting for so many years, saying, "Now you build the houses yourselves" is completely unfair. When we tried to voice our concerns during the meeting, the officials ignored us and walked out. To make matters worse, a politician with no connection to the meeting attended and threatened our Irular people. Is intimidation the answer to people who have waited for years for homes? Shockingly, not a single official from the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department attended this meeting, which was supposed to address housing for the Irular tribal community", Balaraman from Tirupperumbudur Irular People’s Welfare Association explained.
SuryaMohan K, a volunteer from ARAN, an organisation working for the welfare of Irula families told The Mooknayak, " The officials said that under the PM JANMAN Scheme, the people should construct the houses themselves. But these people cannot construct the houses themselves and the Government clearly knows this. When the people tried to raise their concerns, the officials just walked away without even hearing a word.
Moreover, of these 85 Irula Tribal Families, for 44 Irula Tribal Families, houses have been allotted under the Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam Scheme in October 2024 and later when we raised concerns about the beneficiary's share, the government has confirmed that houses will be constructed under CSR Funds of the companies in Sriperumbudur.
But now they are changing the Schemes and this has led to a big confusion.
If the government can change among schemes then they could have changed to the State Government's Tholkudi Scheme in which the Government's entity TAHDCO will construct and handover the houses.
We are not sure about the intentions of the government regarding the construction of houses for Irulas. They are struggling to lead a decent life and all these happenings are adding fuel to the fire."
Houses They Can't Build
The current living conditions of the Irulara families make self-construction impossible. Presently:
They reside in dilapidated huts
No electricity or drinking water access
No proper roads or drainage
Constant threat from venomous snakes
Seasonal flooding of their settlements
Many lack basic documentation including Aadhaar
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