Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday, June 13, dismissed rumours that the Congress government's Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyothi guarantee schemes would be discontinued, asserting that both welfare programmes would continue without interruption.
Shivakumar said the schemes were "the pride of the Congress government" and urged the public not to believe misinformation.
“Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyoti are the pride of the Congress government. They will not be stopped under any circumstances. The public should not listen to the false news being spread by opposition parties in this regard,” he said.
The clarification comes after the government announced that beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which provides a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 to women heads of households, and the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides free electricity up to 200 units, would be required to reapply as part of a verification drive.
Addressing the media on June 13 after a seven-hour review meeting with Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Chief Executive Officers, Deputy Conservators of Forests and other senior officials, Shivakumar had said the reapplication process was intended to weed out fraudulent beneficiaries.
According to the government, more than Rs 100 crore had been withdrawn in the names of deceased beneficiaries in the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Shivakumar alleged that some individuals had created fake records using the names of dead persons to avail benefits under the guarantee schemes.
He also said that some people had registered multiple electricity meters in their name or the Gruha Jyothi scheme. “We need to check if the person is staying at the same address provided and whether benefits are going to people from our state, or to outsiders.” He also said that some people were using the Gruha Jyothi scheme for commercial properties, and they intended to weed out such people
“Beneficiaries have been asked to reapply only so that their name, address and account number can be verified and authenticated. There is nothing more to it,” he said.
The Chief Minister had also reiterated that the verification exercise should not be viewed as a precursor to ending any of the guarantee schemes. “All guarantee schemes will continue one hundred per cent. No one needs to be anxious,” he said.
Responding to criticism over the review of welfare schemes that were previously hailed as successful, Shivakumar said parties that had once opposed Karnataka’s guarantee programmes were now introducing similar initiatives in other states.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister also announced that all students would receive free bus passes under a recently issued government order.
Shivakumar further directed district ministers and officials to create awareness about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He urged voters to submit the enumeration forms distributed by BLOs and advised migrant workers and others residing away from their native places to furnish the required documents to ensure their names remain on the voter list.
Officials were instructed to issue residence certificates wherever necessary and conduct awareness campaigns at the gram panchayat and booth levels, he added.
(With inputs from IANS)
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