‘Gruha Lakshmi’ verification a bid to reduce beneficiaries: K’taka BJP

THe say BJP building block on wed alleged that the house-to-house verification work of Gruha Jyoti beneficiaries across the state was an attempt to reduce the number of households receiving the subsidy to offset mounting welfare expenditure.The exercise was launched a day after the first phase of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls began in the state. Chief minister DK Shivakumar ordered the review to ensure that subsidies were restricted to eligible residents and voters in the state.Gruha Jyothi, introduced in July 2023 as one of the Congress government’s five flagship guarantee programmes, provides up to 200 units of free electricity to domestic consumers in Karnataka.People familiar with the matter said the government believed at least a few lakh beneficiaries of the free electricity guarantee scheme were registered as voters in other states.Leader of Opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka on Wednesday questioned the documentary requirements for verification. Officials are collecting Aadhar cards, voter identity cards, PAN cards, passport size photographs, ration cards, tenancy or rental agreements where applicable, caste certificates, income tax status, profession, mobile numbers and declarations through a mobile application.Ashoka questioned why beneficiaries were being asked to furnish PAN cards and caste certificates.“The Congress had assured free electricity for everyone. If voter ID or Aadhaar is enough to establish identity, why are PAN cards and caste certificates being sought now? Why is the government trying to determine eligibility based on income and caste?” he said.The government has maintained that the re verification became necessary due to complaints that commercial establishments were misusing the Gruha Jyothi scheme.Ashoka rejected the explanation, alleging that the verification reflected the government’s worsening financial position.“The Congress government, struggling to fund its guarantee schemes, has devised a new plan to reduce the number of Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries. It is attempting to deprive lakhs of poor and middle class families of their entitlement under the guise of verification,” he said.He also accused the Congress of abandoning the promise upon which it fought the 2023 assembly election, adding that the BJP would oppose any move to deny eligible households benefits under the scheme.The chief minister recently held a series of meetings with senior officials to examine ways to contain expenditure on the state’s guarantee programmes while reducing other unnecessary government spending.The state government is projected to spend about ₹34,000 crore on free electricity during the 2026 and 2027 financial year, including ₹0,578 crore under the Gruha Jyothi scheme. Presenting the budget earlier this year, then- chief minister Siddaramaiah told the state assembly that the government had spent ₹1,21,598 crore on its five guarantee schemes up to the end of February 2026.