Gruha Lakshmi Scheme Faces House To House Verification To Stop Fake Accounts

The Karnataka government is preparing to tighten checks under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme following concerns over irregular payments and possible leakages. A statewide verification exercise is expected to involve officials visiting beneficiaries at their homes to confirm whether they continue to qualify for the monthly assistance.

The move comes after the government reported that a total of Rs 177 crore had been deposited into bank accounts linked to beneficiaries who had already died. Authorities have reportedly recovered around Rs 30 crore so far, while steps are being taken to prevent similar payments in the future.

The Gruha Lakshmi scheme provides Rs 2,000 every month to the woman head of an eligible household. With a large number of families receiving the benefit, officials are now looking at stronger verification methods to identify ineligible beneficiaries and reduce the possibility of money being wrongly transferred.

HM Revanna, chairman of the State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority, said six member committees would be formed at the gram panchayat and ward levels to assist government officials during the verification process.

According to the information shared by Revanna, the committees will include representatives from different sections of society, including Scheduled Castes, minorities, backward classes and the general category. Two women members are also expected to be part of the six member groups. Congress workers are also mentioned as part of the proposed committee structure.

The government has said that forming these committees will not create an additional financial burden because their role will mainly be to support officials during the verification exercise.

The decision to conduct the recheck was taken after discussions involving Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, with an order related to the verification process issued on August 31, according to the source.

Biometric verification is also being considered as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the system. Such a system could help authorities confirm beneficiary identities and reduce the chances of payments continuing after a beneficiary is no longer eligible.

The government has already introduced a mechanism intended to automatically stop payments when information about a beneficiary’s death is received. Officials are also examining additional safeguards to prevent similar errors from occurring again.

The verification exercise is part of a broader effort to identify beneficiaries who no longer meet eligibility requirements. Similar scrutiny has also begun under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, with the government looking at ways to remove ineligible recipients from its guarantee programmes.

Meanwhile, another proposal concerning the public distribution system is also being discussed. Revanna said the government is considering reducing the monthly quantity of rice supplied under the PDS by 5 kilograms and providing an Indira Kit containing essential items such as cooking oil, sugar and pulses instead.

The proposal is being considered with the stated aim of preventing subsidised rice from being diverted into the black market. However, the plan is still under consideration and should not be treated as a final policy decision at this stage.

The latest developments indicate that the state government is looking at tighter monitoring across its welfare programmes. For Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries, the proposed house to house verification and possible biometric checks could become important steps in ensuring that financial assistance reaches eligible households.

As the verification process moves forward, beneficiaries may need to provide information or documents required by officials to establish their eligibility. Further details about the schedule, verification procedure and implementation are expected from the government.