No guarantee rollback, but Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar orders beneficiary verification

BENGALURU: "There will be no rollback of the welfare schemes," said chief minister D K Shivakumar while ordering a statewide review of beneficiaries under the Congress govt's flagship guarantee programmes during his first meeting with senior officials after assuming office Thursday. The review aims to identify and weed out ineligible recipients from the schemes, he stressed.The CM said complaints had been received regarding misuse of benefits, particularly under Gruha Jyothi and Gruha Lakshmi, making verification necessary. "We have recorded 1.6 crore beneficiaries under the electricity scheme. We will scrutinise beneficiaries, their connections, and whether residential premises are being used for commercial purposes. Some have multiple electricity meters in their names," Shivakumar said after a marathon meeting with senior IAS and IPS officers at Vidhana Soudha. Complete beneficiary details, including tenant information, location, usage patterns, and contact numbers will be needed, the CM said.For 2026-27, the govt has earmarked Rs 51,286 crore for the five schemes. These include free power up to 200 units under Gruha Jyothi, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance for women heads of households under Gruha Lakshmi, an additional 5 kg rice per BPL member under Anna Bhagya, Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment allowance for graduates and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders under Yuva Nidhi, and free bus travel for women under Shakti scheme.On Gruha Lakshmi, he flagged instances of irregular withdrawals. "In some cases, money meant for beneficiaries has been withdrawn even after their death. Officials and families must report deaths to ensure accountability and prevent misuse of the scheme," he added.On corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending, he said the govt would ensure better utilisation of funds for education and health.The state gets Rs 8,000 crore in CSR spending but we do not know how it is being used. Companies will have to submit records. New guidelines will be issued in four days,” he said, adding govt schools will get priority followed by healthcare. On voter list revision under the special intensive revision process, Shivakumar said no eligible citizen should be deprived of voting rights. “Facilitation centres will be set up. Karnataka will adopt best practices to prevent voter exclusion,” he added. The CM said the state does not intend to back out of Mekedatu reservoir project. “We have already submitted the detailed project report. Supreme Court has ruled on it, but Tamil Nadu has sought a review. It’s for the Centre to take a call,” he added