DK Shivakumar on Karnataka Government Welfare Schemes and Eligibility

DK Shivakumar spoke on Friday about government welfare schemes in Karnataka. He basically said only people whose names are actually on the electoral rolls should get these benefits. No deserving person should suffer because of whatever moves were happening.
He was chairing a review meeting at the Vidhana Soudha when he made this point. Specifically, the Gruha Jyothi scheme the one giving 200 units of free electricity to households would only be for registered voters now. He pushed everyone to check their names during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, or SIR.
“Only voters whose names are in the electoral roll will be beneficiaries of government schemes,” he stated. He insisted that during this revision, those who qualify must make sure their names aren't accidentally left out. It felt like a necessary tightening of the rules.
But it wasn’t just about eligibility. Shivakumar stressed protecting the people actually meant to receive help. “Not a single eligible beneficiary should face any hardship,” he emphasized. The focus needs to be stopping those who are ineligible and making sure the schemes aren't being misused.
The state runs five main guarantee schemes, you know? Gruha Jyothi for free power 200 units per household. Then there’s Gruha Lakshmi , where women heads of families get 2,000 rupees. Anna Bhagya gives rice; 10 kg every month to every member in BPL families. Yuva Nidhi targets unemployed graduates and diploma holders, giving them money over two years. And Shakti lets women travel free on state buses.
During that meeting, the real concerns started bubbling up. People who had moved from other states but were still claiming benefits under Gruha Jyothi . Shivakumar addressed this head-on. He was pretty clear: “Our state’s schemes should benefit only beneficiaries of Karnataka.” He noted they found voters from other places receiving these funds. That had to stop.
Then there were the payment issues themselves. Officials pointed out some serious irregularities in how money was being disbursed. We’re talking about misuse of Unified Payments Interface accounts and transfers going into bank accounts located outside Karnataka. Shivakumar directed them to halt those transactions immediately. Everything needed to stay within the state borders.
The Auditor General's report, which they looked at during the review, brought some ugly details forward. It showed how payments under Gruha Lakshmi were sometimes routed through just one account for several people. The findings were striking: nearly 60 crore rupees had been released through around three lakh installments. That’s a mess.
He also touched on beneficiaries switching accounts after loan repayments were automatically adjusted using the Gruha Lakshmi funds. “Many beneficiaries have taken bank loans,” he admitted. As soon as the money hits, it gets used to clear that debt, and then some change their accounts. He made it plain: these people shouldn't face trouble over this kind of shuffling.
The frustration continued regarding payments going out even after some beneficiaries had passed away. It came to light that payouts were still being made to deceased individuals. That simply cannot happen. He told officials they needed real-time updates on all records. And he also ordered that when Gruha Lakshmi payments are credited, people should get automated voice messages letting them know.
Moving back to the progress side of things, the meeting looked at how the flagship schemes were doing overall. For Shakti , women had managed 763 crore free journeys by the end of May. The ticket value alone was huge estimated at ₹20,047.69 crore. And they’re expecting about a million free bus passes for students in the next academic year, 2026-27.
Under Gruha Jyothi , sixteen and a half million consumers are enjoying that free electricity. Anna Bhagya and Direct Benefit Transfer moved ₹11,561.05 crore between July 2023 and December 2024, covering over 720.2 million beneficiary instances in rice distribution alone. Plus, five kilograms of rice keep getting distributed every month to 44.4 million people still. It’s a huge operation, full of these kinds of fine details that just don't neatly fit into a simple story.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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