CM Shivakumar Orders Crackdown on Ineligible Beneficiaries Misusing Karnataka’s Guarantee Schemes
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, now holding charge as Chief Minister, directed officials on Friday to take firm action against ineligible individuals and those misusing the state’s five guarantee schemes — while ensuring that genuine beneficiaries face no disruption to their benefits.
The directive came during an extensive review meeting in Bengaluru focused on irregularities surfacing across the flagship welfare programmes. Since launching the five pre-election guarantees, the Karnataka Congress government has spent Rs 1,21,598 crore through February this year, according to the state budget.
The five schemes include Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity per household; Gruha Lakshmi, which transfers Rs 2,000 monthly to one woman per family; Anna Bhagya, which supplies 10 kg of rice per month to every BPL family member; Yuva Nidhi, which offers Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to diploma holders aged 18–25 for up to two years; and Shakti, which lets women travel free on state-run buses within Karnataka.
Several serious misuse patterns came to light at the meeting. Auditors flagged that multiple beneficiaries were routing Gruha Lakshmi payments into a single bank account — a practice through which Rs 60 crore was disbursed across three lakh instalments. The Accountant General’s report also cited cases where one individual registered under multiple accounts. Officials informed Shivakumar that UPI accounts opened through Airtel Payments Bank were being exploited, and that benefit amounts were flowing into bank accounts registered in other states. The meeting decided that only bank accounts held within Karnataka would remain linked to these schemes.
Payments continuing to reach deceased beneficiaries also drew sharp attention. The CM’s office statement pointed to a lack of timely death data, along with inactive e-KYC, bank account, or NPCI links, as key technical failures undermining the Gruha Lakshmi rollout. Shivakumar instructed officials to halt such transfers immediately and to send voice message confirmations to beneficiaries’ mobile phones each time a Gruha Lakshmi credit is processed.
Some beneficiaries were found to have changed their bank accounts to avoid automatic loan repayments being deducted from Gruha Lakshmi credits. Shivakumar clarified that these individuals should not face any hardship, and asked officials to handle such cases with care.
The meeting also discussed the economic burden on low- and middle-income families stemming from central government policies, rising prices, and falling per capita income. On the Shakti scheme, officials reported that women had logged 763 crore trips on government buses up to May. Those in financially sound positions who voluntarily opt out of guarantee benefits will be encouraged, so that the support reaches those who truly need it, the CM’s office said.
📰 Source: Udupi Times