Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru / Belagavi
Mangaluru / Belagavi, Dec 24: The government of Karnataka has announced measures to prevent misuse of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, following revelations that 1,44,056 deceased beneficiaries had already received approximately Rs 68 lac in their bank accounts.
H M Revanna, chairman of the Karnataka Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority, disclosed the figures while speaking at a workshop on the implementation of the five guaranteed schemes, organised by the Dakshina Kannada district administration and Zilla Panchayat. The event also included a progress review meeting and the launch of the drug-free Karnataka campaign.
“Due to the direct cash transfer system, money has been credited to accounts even after the beneficiaries passed away. That money belongs to the people. Efforts are being made to reclaim it,” Revanna said.
He added that it is the responsibility of the guarantee implementation committees to ensure that even the last eligible beneficiary receives the benefits and that no advantage of the programme is lost.
Meanwhile, minister of women and child development, disabled and senior citizens empowerment, Lakshmi Hebbalkar stated that the government will now use a software programme to remove the names of deceased beneficiaries from the scheme.
“It has come to our notice that some money has been deposited in the bank accounts of deceased women. The State government is strongly in favour of all government programmes reaching deserving beneficiaries. The Department of Women and Child Welfare has, therefore, decided to weed out the undeserving beneficiaries and the accounts of deceased persons. To ensure this, we will be using a software tool. It will trace out the beneficiaries who have died. Payment to those accounts will be stopped,” the minister said.
To verify flagged accounts, Anganwadi workers will visit the homes of beneficiaries, ensuring that the scheme is not misused. Minister Hebbalkar also confirmed that the pending incentive under the scheme was released on December 22 and will be distributed to all beneficiaries simultaneously, with disbursal expected to be completed by December 27.
She emphasised that technical issues are being addressed to ensure that future payments are not delayed.