CM Siddaramaiah wants dead, ineligible beneficiaries removed from 'guarantee' schemes

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed authorities to revise the list of beneficiaries under the ‘guarantee’ schemes by removing the dead and those who are ineligible.

Siddaramaiah said this at a meeting where he reviewed the progress of the ‘guarantee’ schemes on which the government has spent Rs 97,813 crore.

The CM said dead beneficiaries must be listed every month at the panchayat level and the information must be shared with banks. Action must be taken to add and remove beneficiaries at the panchayat level, he said.

Confusion surrounding those who file GST returns claiming Gruha Lakshmi benefits must be addressed, Siddaramaiah told officials. 

Ineligible BPL card holders must be identified and removed at the panchayat level. Guidelines in this regard must be strictly followed, Siddaramaiah said.  Under the Anna Bhagya scheme, Siddaramaiah said action must be taken to ensure that rice does not get sold in the black market. 

The government will also examine the idea of giving beneficiaries grains other than rice depending upon the region. 

Since 2023, the government has spent Rs 50,005 crore on the Gruha Lakshmi scheme that has 1.24 crore beneficiaries. Under Gruha Jyoti, there are 1.64 crore beneficiaries costing Rs 18,139 crore. The Yuva Nidhi programme has 2.55 lakh beneficiaries at Rs 623 crore. The Shakti scheme has been used by women 544 crore times at a cost of Rs 13,903 crore. Under Anna Bhagya, the government has incurred Rs 11,821.17 crore.