DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇳 India /Elections & Politics

Guarantee scheme beneficiaries to be verified again: K’taka CM

From Hindustan Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Karnataka's Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has ordered a review of beneficiaries for the state's five guarantee schemes.
  • The review aims to identify and remove ineligible recipients, not to cut the programs, with a focus on free electricity and financial aid for women.
  • The schemes have cost the state over ₹1.3 lakh crore, with another ₹51,286 crore budgeted for the next fiscal year.

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has ordered a thorough review of beneficiaries enrolled in the state's five flagship guarantee schemes. The directive aims to identify and remove ineligible recipients and correct flaws in beneficiary records, assuring that the welfare programs themselves will not be curtailed.

There will be no rollback of the welfare schemes.

— DK ShivakumarChief Minister DK Shivakumar's assurance that the review is not intended to curtail the welfare programs.

The expansive set of schemes, which have collectively cost the state over ₹1.3 lakh crore since their inception, are slated to receive another ₹51,286 crore in the 2026-27 financial year. The review, announced after a meeting with senior civil servants and police officials, will initially focus on the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides up to 200 units of free electricity. Complaints suggest some beneficiaries claim subsidies for domestic use while powering commercial activities.

There are 1.64 crore beneficiaries and if eligible persons take the benefits, we don’t have an issue.

— DK ShivakumarRegarding the Gruha Jyothi scheme, emphasizing the need for eligible individuals to receive benefits.

Officials plan to gather more comprehensive data, including contact details, tenancy status, location records, and electricity usage patterns. The scrutiny also extends to the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, offering monthly financial assistance to women heading households, where discrepancies of approximately ₹120 crore have already been identified. Cases of payments continuing after beneficiaries' deaths have also been highlighted, prompting calls for improved accountability and reporting of deaths.

Accurate data on this is needed, right?

— DK ShivakumarHighlighting the necessity of precise information for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.

This review echoes concerns Shivakumar previously raised about benefits reaching unqualified individuals. He had previously estimated that over ₹100 crore might have been disbursed to ineligible recipients and noted instances of women entitled to free travel reportedly offering to pay bus fares. The five guarantee programs encompass free electricity (Gruha Jyothi), monthly cash aid (Gruha Lakshmi), food grains (Anna Bhagya), unemployment support (Yuva Nidhi), and free bus travel for women (Shakti scheme).

Officials and families must report deaths to ensure accountability and prevent misuse of the scheme.

— DK ShivakumarAddressing the issue of payments continuing after beneficiaries' deaths.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog