Bengaluru, 19 June

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday instructed officials that action should be taken against the ineligible beneficiaries and misuse of the five guarantees.

He, however, made it clear that the eligible beneficiary should not face any hardship.

In view of the misuse of the guarantees, the Chief Minister held a detailed meeting with the officials.

Since the introduction of the five pre-poll guarantees, the Congress government in Karnataka has spent Rs 1,21,598 crore till February this year, according to the state budget.

The five guarantees are ‘Gruha Jyoti’ offering 200 units of electricity free to every household, ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme promising Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family and ‘Anna Bhagya’ offering 10 kg rice to every member of the BPL family a month.

The Yuva Nidhi’ promises Rs 3,000 dole to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders for two years (in the 18-25 age-group), and the Shakti scheme permits free travel for Karnataka women to travel within the state in government non-luxury buses.

During the review meeting, it emerged that many beneficiaries have taken bank loans.

As soon as the Gruha Lakshmi assistance is credited, the amount is automatically adjusted against their loan accounts, a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s office said.

Therefore, some beneficiaries have changed their bank accounts. Such beneficiaries should not face any inconvenience, Shivakumar told officials.

It was also pointed out that when the Gruha Jyoti was implemented, precautions were taken to prevent large-scale misuse. Had similar caution been exercised in the implementation of other schemes, the extent of misuse would have been lower.

“Gruha Lakshmi payments are also being credited to beneficiaries who have passed away. Hence, such misuse must be stopped,” the statement said.

The CM directed officials that as soon as the Gruha Lakshmi amount is credited to a beneficiary's account, confirmation should be sent to their mobile phone through a voice message.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that cases have been detected in which UPI accounts opened through Airtel Bank are being misused.

It was decided that bank accounts linked to the schemes must be located within Karnataka.

“It has been found that money is being transferred to accounts in other states. Such transactions must be stopped,” the statement said.

It was also pointed out that the state's welfare schemes should benefit only the beneficiaries of this state.

“It has been found that voters from other states are receiving benefits under these schemes. This must be prevented,” the statement said.

Further, it was decided that if financially well-off individuals voluntarily choose to give up the benefits of the guarantee schemes so that other eligible beneficiaries can be assisted, such people should be encouraged.

The meeting also discussed the financial burden being placed on poor and middle-class families due to central government policies, the impact of rising prices, and the decline in per capita income.

A detailed discussion was held on two major technical issues affecting the implementation of the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme, the statement said.

“The meeting discussed the non-availability of timely data regarding deceased beneficiaries, as well as issues related to beneficiaries whose e-Know Your Client, bank accounts, or National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) links have become inactive,” it added.

Issues highlighted in the Auditor General's report in the implementation of the guarantee schemes were also discussed.

“Multiple beneficiaries are receiving Gruha Lakshmi payments into the same bank account. According to the Auditor General's report, a total of Rs 60 crore was disbursed through three lakh installments in such cases,” the statement said.

The AG report also mentions instances where a single individual has registered multiple accounts.

Concerns were raised about the lack of verification of the authenticity of information provided in applications submitted earlier.

Under the Shakti Scheme, 763 crore trips by women have been recorded till May, and the value of tickets provided was Rs 20,047.69 crore.

This fiscal 10 lakh free bus passes will be distributed to students across all categories, including General, SCs, and STs.

Under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme, 1.65 crore beneficiaries were benefited till May, 2026.

“Only those whose names are included in the electoral roll (voters' list) should be beneficiaries of government welfare schemes. Therefore, during the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, beneficiaries must ensure that their names are in the voters' list,” the statement said.

Under the Anna Bhagya Scheme, Rs 11,561 crore has been transferred directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

According to the statement, from July 2023 to December 2024, 72.02 crore beneficiary instances received Rs 11,561.05 crore through DBT transfers. Thereafter, from February 2025 onwards, an additional five kg of rice per month has been distributed under the Anna Bhagya Scheme to 4.44 crore beneficiaries currently residing in the state.

The Chief Minsiter directed officials to initiate strict measures to curb the illegal sale of Anna Bhagya rice in the black market.