Gruha Jyothi Scheme: Around 1.3 Lakh Consumers Out From Benefit

Bengaluru: Around 1.3 lakh electricity consumers across Karnataka have voluntarily chosen to exit the state government’s flagship Gruha Jyothi scheme, which offers up to 200 units of free electricity every month. Gruha Jyothi Scheme: Around 1.3 Lakh Consumers Out From Benefit.

The decision comes after beneficiaries refused to submit personal documents during the ongoing door-to-door verification drive conducted by the Energy Department. Despite availing the free electricity benefit since the scheme was introduced nearly three years ago, these consumers have opted out, citing concerns over sharing personal information with field staff.

The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has recorded the highest number of consumers opting out of the scheme. Of the 1.3 lakh consumers who declined to continue, more than 1.2 lakh are from the BESCOM jurisdiction.

During the verification campaign, officials requested beneficiaries to furnish documents such as Aadhaar, PAN card, and Voter ID to establish eligibility. However, a large number of consumers, particularly those living in apartment complexes, refused to share their personal documents, citing privacy concerns and fears of possible misuse of their data.

Karnataka has approximately 2.1 crore domestic electricity consumers, of whom nearly 1.8 crore have enrolled under the Gruha Jyothi scheme. However, the verification drive found that around 25.7 lakh beneficiaries were either unavailable during the survey or had not submitted the required documents.

To ensure that eligible consumers do not lose the benefit, the Energy Department has provided one final opportunity for verification. Consumers who were unavailable during the house-to-house survey can visit their nearest electricity sub-divisional office and submit the required documents on or before October 31.

Officials are compiling the details of consumers who refused to submit documents. The report will be submitted to the Energy Minister and the Chief Minister, after which the state government will decide the future course of action regarding such beneficiaries.

Officials said that 16 lakh out of 69 lakh Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries under BESCOM are yet to complete the verification process. In many cases, field staff were unable to verify consumers because houses were locked during repeated visits or tenants had shifted to other locations.

The Energy Department has reiterated that consumers who have not yet completed verification must submit the necessary documents at their nearest BESCOM sub-divisional office by October 31. Those who fail to do so within the stipulated deadline will be treated as unverified beneficiaries and are likely to be permanently removed from the Gruha Jyothi scheme, subject to the government’s final decision.