Gruha Jyothi Scheme: CM DK Shivakumar Made Big Announcement
The government has decided to tighten eligibility norms to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries continue to receive the benefits.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced a major overhaul of the state’s flagship Gruha Jyothi Scheme, stating that beneficiaries will soon be required to submit fresh applications as part of a statewide re-registration drive aimed at preventing misuse of the scheme.
The Karnataka government’s Gruha Jyothi Scheme, one of its flagship guarantee programmes, currently provides free electricity benefits to more than 1.5 crore beneficiaries across the state. However, the government has decided to tighten eligibility norms to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries continue to receive the benefits.
Speaking at an Energy Department event in Bengaluru, DK Shivakumar said the government is taking several measures to curb the misuse of its guarantee schemes. As part of the exercise, a fresh application process will be introduced for all beneficiaries under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme.
Officials from the Energy Department will conduct door-to-door visits across the state and distribute fresh application forms to households for re-registration. The move is intended to verify beneficiaries and eliminate ineligible claims from the scheme.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government’s primary objective is to ensure that the benefits reach only deserving households. “We are undertaking a major restructuring of the Gruha Jyothi Scheme through a fresh registration process to prevent misuse and improve transparency,” he said.
According to the new guidelines, only individuals whose names appear on the electoral roll (voter list) will be eligible to apply for the Gruha Jyothi Scheme. Energy Department officials will verify households and assist residents in completing the re-registration process.
The government has also indicated that only those who participate in the ongoing voter list-related verification process will continue to remain eligible for inclusion in the electoral roll in the future. Consequently, only eligible voters will be able to submit fresh applications for the Gruha Jyothi Scheme.
With these changes, the Karnataka government aims to strengthen the implementation of its flagship guarantee schemes, prevent leakages, and ensure that benefits are extended only to genuine and eligible beneficiaries.
