A file image of women waiting for their turn to submit applications under Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
Hubballi: The women and child development department has weeded over two lakh women, who had enrolled themselves for Gruha Lakshmi scheme, as they or their husbands were income tax payee or filed Goods and Service Tax returns.
According to documents available with DH, the department removed the names of 1.08 lakh women heads of the family who were paying income tax and another 1.04 lakh women whose family were paying GST.
These names were weeded out based on the update these women made on the ‘Kutumba app’.
Since its rollout in June 2023, more than 1.31 crore women from across Karnataka had registered under the scheme. However, later the State government issued orders to remove the names of beneficiaries who or whose husband pays income tax or GST.
The State government over the last two-and-half years has disbursed over Rs 50, 005 crore to 1.28 crore beneficiaries, including 23 lakh women belonging to SC and eight lakh ST.
Sources in the department state that excluding two installments in 2024-25 financial year, the women heads of the family have “regularly received” Rs 2,000 per month. This financial year, the State government has disbursed three installments and is waiting for the fourth.
Gruha Lakshmi scheme project director M G Paly said none of the 2.13 lakh names that were weeded out of the beneficiaries list received any installments.
“The process of directly transferring the funds to the beneficiary's account starts only after verifying the details. As the beneficiaries updated their details on Kutumba app, non-eligible names were removed,” said Paly.