Karnataka govt removes nearly 6 lakh ineligible Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Jun 12, 2026: The Karnataka government has removed nearly six lakh ineligible beneficiaries from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme and recovered Rs 64 crore from bank accounts of recipients found to be ineligible following a statewide verification drive.

While Opposition parties have accused the ruling Congress government of attempting to exclude beneficiaries under various pretexts, records from the Women and Child Development Department show that the flagship scheme, which provides Rs 2,000 per month to women heads of households, has disbursed around Rs 72,000 crore over the past three years.

A pilot study conducted by the department revealed that nearly 1.20 lakh deceased beneficiaries were still receiving direct benefit transfer (DBT) payments. Further verification found that 4.5 lakh beneficiaries had died, while another 1.45 lakh were income tax or GST payers. All of them were subsequently removed from the Gruha Lakshmi beneficiary list, a senior official said.

Officials stated that the Finance Department shared the Gruha Lakshmi database with the Income Tax and Commercial Taxes departments. The beneficiary list was cross-verified with income tax and GST records to prevent future payments to ineligible recipients.

While deaths in urban areas are updated automatically through the Kutumba portal, officials noted that updates in rural areas are often delayed due to the late submission of death certificates. During discussions with bankers, the department also found instances where bank accounts of deceased beneficiaries were allegedly misused to withdraw funds through ATMs.

H.M. Revanna, chairperson of the Karnataka Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority, said monthly reviews at the village level would be conducted to update records and prevent leakages in the scheme.

The government has so far recovered Rs 64 crore from banks. A circular has been issued directing Panchayat Development Officers to immediately report deaths of beneficiaries. Anganwadi workers have also been tasked with informing the department without delay so that beneficiary numbers can be blocked promptly.

To further streamline the scheme, the government plans to launch a one-time biometric authentication drive covering 1.23 crore beneficiaries. The exercise will be carried out through 17,000 service centres, including Karnataka One, Bengaluru One, Grama One and Bapuji Seva Kendras. Beneficiaries will be required to provide thumb impressions and iris scans and will receive authentication certificates for a nominal fee.

Officials clarified that if a beneficiary has died, family members can update the ration card by naming a new woman head of the household and apply afresh for the scheme. "There is no automatic transfer of benefits to the next of kin," an official said.

Amid concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists potentially affecting guarantee scheme beneficiaries, the Congress has urged people to ensure that their names are included during the enumeration process to avoid losing access to welfare benefits.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the verification exercise was aimed solely at ensuring that benefits reach eligible recipients. "We will not exclude anyone unfairly. The verification is being conducted to ensure that genuine beneficiaries in our state receive the assistance," he said.

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka criticised the move, alleging that the Congress had promised guarantee schemes with "no conditions attached" but was now finding reasons to deny benefits.

Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority vice-chairman and MLC Dinesh Gooligowda, however, accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation. "Our intention is only to audit the scheme and prevent misuse. I have proposed making life certificates mandatory for beneficiaries," he said.