LUCKNOW, May 12 -- With a view to improving implementation and monitoring of rural housing schemes, the Uttar Pradesh rural development department is considering setting up a Technical Support Unit (TSU) involving experts from premier institutions such as IITs, IIMs and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU). The proposal surfaced during a budget review meeting of the department chaired by rural development commissioner Gouri Shankar Priyadarshi recently, according to an official document accessed by HT. The minutes of meeting reveal that the department wants to strengthen monitoring of the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) and ensure faster completion of pending houses under both the state and central rural housing schemes. Officials were directed to explore the possibility of preparing an institutional framework by involving experts domain expertise from IITs, IIMs and AKTU. The proposed TSU is expected to help in effective monitoring, supervision and execution of the scheme at the state level. The document also says that five-minute short films showcasing beneficiaries from communities such as Sahariya, Kol, Musahar and other deprived sections should be prepared and publicised on social media platforms. Serious underutilisation of funds, large-scale surrender of budget allocations and delays in implementation of key schemes also came under sharp scrutiny during a review, with the commissioner directing departments to ensure full utilisation of sanctioned funds and improve accountability. According to the report, an expenditure under several flagship schemes remained far below allocations during 2025-26, raising concerns over implementation and planning. The sharpest concern was flagged over the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), where against a provisioned budget of Rs.5,912 crore in 2025-26, only around Rs.1,800 crore could be spent. For 2026-27, a budget of Rs.5,520 crore has been provisioned, while projects worth Rs.4,000 crore have already received approval under the Annual Action Plan. Under the Mahila Samarthya Yojana, the review found that despite a target of Rs.1,301 crore in 2025-26, not a single rupee was spent, even though a budget provision of Rs.133 crore existed. For 2026-27, the allocation has been raised to Rs.200 crore. Calling the situation "extremely concerning", Priyadarshi directed preparation of a detailed action plan under the Mahila Samarthya scheme to ensure complete utilisation of funds and inclusion of dairy products, eggs and related items in the programme. The review also highlighted a steep decline in expenditure under rural road projects. While the Uttar Pradesh Rural Road Development Agency had spent nearly Rs.3,000 crore in 2024-25, expenditure fell to about Rs.419 crore in 2025-26. Under MGNREGA, against a provisioned amount of Rs.6,113 crore in 2025-26, only Rs.3,006 crore was spent, while Rs.3,107 crore had to be surrendered. The report noted that part of the expenditure included pending payments which could not be processed before March 31. For the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), officials were directed to immediately return surrendered central and state funds and speed up completion of houses pending from 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 with regular monitoring of physical progress. The report further noted that payments worth Rs.24 lakh under the PM Jan Man Yojana are under process. In an unusual directive, officials were asked to issue beneficiary allotment letters in decorative framed formats so recipients could preserve and display them....