Turning promises into rights

Karnataka is evaluating its guarantee schemes with evidence. Can stronger systemic support follow?

By commissioning independent evaluations of its guarantee schemes and making the findings public, Karnataka is turning social promises into accountable, evidence-driven policy. This transparency reflects a strong commitment to learning, accountability, and results – qualities that are shaping a model for policy across India.

These schemes represent more than welfare; they embody the principle that every citizen has a fundamental right to dignity, care, and security. Moving from charity to entitlement, Karnataka is operationalising the Rights to Health and Care, translating abstract ideals into daily realities for families. When households have assured food security, stable incomes, and access to education and mobility, they create the very conditions in which good health can flourish.

This approach is not only about individual rights; it also contributes to broader development goals. Karnataka’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals shows how these interventions can make a real difference. The state ranks fifth among major states on the SDG India Index 2023-24, scoring 75, up from 72 in 2021. Yet challenges remain, particularly in SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Guarantee schemes targeting nutrition, mobility, and education align directly with these imperatives, exemplifying the principle of leaving no one behind.

Independent evaluations of five major schemes reveal both promise and limitations. The Shakti Scheme, providing free bus travel for women, has expanded mobility, enabling access to work, education, healthcare, and social life. Mobility, as Amartya Sen noted, is freedom – both economic and social. However, to translate mobility into empowerment, these opportunities must be linked to income-earning opportunities and skills development.

Through Gruha Lakshmi, cash transfers to women heads of households have stabilised consumption and enhanced autonomy. Beneficiaries reported using funds for essentials such as food, healthcare, and education, highlighting women as economic agents rather than dependents. Still, cash support alone will not resolve deeper labour-market inequalities. Upskilling, financial literacy, and livelihood support must complement transfers.

Anna Bhagya, which provides additional foodgrain, has fortified household food security. Diversifying rations to include millets and pulses could boost nutrition and support climate-smart agriculture. Gruha Jyothi, offering up to 200 units of free electricity, has improved comfort, safety, and family well-being. Pairing this with energy-efficiency training could help households manage rising energy demand sustainably.

Finally, Yuva Nidhi, a stipend for educated but unemployed youth, provides short-term income support. When combined with mentorship, skills training, and entrepreneurship support, it can convert temporary relief into sustained employability, which is especially vital for young women facing intersecting barriers related to mobility, care responsibilities, and limited job options.

Across these schemes, a truth emerges: access alone does not equal empowerment. When the state shares responsibility for care and household sustenance, women’s time and opportunities expand. However, to transform these gains into lasting empowerment, a wider ecosystem of support is essential. Practical gender needs must be linked to strategic gender goals so that access leads to agency.

From schemes to systems

Sustainability depends on strong, integrated public systems. Convergence across health, nutrition, and social protection ensures families experience a seamless ecosystem of care rather than fragmented services.

Karnataka’s Koosina Mane creche initiative demonstrates this principle. By linking childcare, early learning, and nutrition, it supports both child development and women’s livelihoods. Scaled appropriately, such models can advance multiple SDGs simultaneously, making the Right to Care tangible from the youngest citizens to the women who care for them.

Karnataka, like other southern states, faces evolving challenges: a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, climate vulnerabilities across its ten agro-climatic zones, and persistent gender inequities. Research, including studies by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, shows climate change amplifies health and social vulnerabilities, particularly for rural women. Guarantee schemes supporting nutrition, livelihoods, and preventive care are therefore central to building resilience.

The true value of this approach lies in its use of evidence. By commissioning evaluations and making them open to public scrutiny, the state signals that research is not an afterthought but a cornerstone of governance. Disseminating findings should spark ongoing conversations between governments, researchers, and communities, ensuring every programme is measured not only by reach but by its impact on lives.

Guarantee schemes, if implemented well, can transform care, mobility, and food security from abstract rights into lived realities. With strong systems, evidence-based policy, and a commitment to convergence and resilience, such initiatives pave the way for entitlements to evolve into empowerment and for human capital to become the foundation of a healthy, productive, and resilient society.

(Soumya is Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and former chief scientist, WHO; Roubitha is Senior Fellow – Public Health and Policy, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.