Bengaluru, June 19 (IANS) The review meeting on the implementation and progress of the Karnataka government’s guarantee schemes was held on Friday at the Committee Room of Vidhana Soudha under the chairmanship of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Chairing the meeting, CM Shivakumar made it clear that no eligible beneficiary should face hardship while the government acts against misuse of its flagship guarantee schemes. He stressed that the objective was only to prevent ineligible beneficiaries and fraudulent claims from availing benefits, while ensuring genuine beneficiaries continue to receive assistance without interruption.

During the meeting, Shivakumar pointed out that many beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme had taken bank loans. In several cases, the financial assistance credited under the scheme was automatically adjusted against outstanding loan amounts. As a result, many beneficiaries had changed their bank accounts to ensure they could access the benefits directly. He instructed officials to ensure that such beneficiaries are not inconvenienced during the verification process.

The Chief Minister observed that stringent safeguards had been put in place while implementing the Gruha Jyothi scheme to prevent misuse and said similar precautions in other guarantee schemes could have significantly reduced instances of fraud.

Officials informed the meeting that cases had been detected in which Gruha Lakshmi benefits were being credited even to deceased beneficiaries. Shivakumar directed authorities to take immediate steps to prevent such misuse.

He also suggested that beneficiaries should receive a voice message on their mobile phones immediately after the Gruha Lakshmi amount is credited to their accounts, enabling them to confirm receipt of the benefit.

Officials brought to the meeting’s attention that certain Airtel Payments Bank accounts operated by Airtel SIM users were allegedly being misused through UPI‑linked transactions. The Chief Minister instructed officials to examine the issue and take corrective measures.

The meeting also noted that some benefits were being transferred to bank accounts located outside Karnataka. Shivakumar directed officials to ensure that benefits under the guarantee scheme are credited only to accounts within the state, stating that Karnataka’s welfare schemes are intended exclusively for eligible beneficiaries residing in Karnataka and not for voters of other states.

The Chief Minister further suggested that financially well‑off beneficiaries willing to voluntarily surrender the benefits of guarantee schemes should be encouraged to do so, thereby enabling more deserving beneficiaries to receive assistance.

The meeting also discussed the growing financial burden on poor and middle‑class families due to the Central government policies, rising prices and declining per capita income.

Detailed discussions were held on two major technical issues affecting the implementation of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. These included delays in obtaining data on deceased beneficiaries and issues with beneficiaries whose e‑KYC, bank accounts, or NPCI‑linked accounts had become inactive.

The review meeting also examined observations made in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. According to the report, multiple beneficiaries were receiving Gruha Lakshmi payments through a single bank account, resulting in nearly Rs 60 crore in disbursements across 3 lakh instalments. The report also flagged cases in which individuals had registered multiple accounts to avail benefits and raised concerns about the lack of verification of information furnished in earlier applications.

The Chief Minister directed officials to strengthen verification mechanisms and plug loopholes to ensure that public funds reach only eligible beneficiaries while preventing misuse of welfare schemes.

Ministers K.H. Muniyappa, K.J. George and Priyank Kharge, Chief Minister’s Principal Advisor Sunil Kanagolu, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Minister’s Economic Advisor L.K. Atheeq, Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department Ritesh Kumar Singh, Vice‑Chairpersons of the Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority Dinesh Gooligowda, S.R. Patil, Pushpa Amarnath and Mehrus Khan, Bengaluru District President Krishnappa, and several other officials and leaders were present at the meeting.

–IANS

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