Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, March 4: The Karnataka Congress government is considering introducing a system to allow individuals to voluntarily opt out of the benefits provided under its flagship guarantee schemes.
H M Revanna, chairman of the Guarantee Implementation Committee, addressed the matter in New Delhi on Tuesday. He explained that some women in Karwar city had expressed that they did not require the benefits and felt that the schemes should reach the truly needy.
"Considering this, we are exploring the possibility of setting up a mechanism for those who voluntarily wish to opt out of the guarantee schemes," Revanna stated.
Revanna further revealed that he had already consulted with national leaders K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, who oversee Karnataka’s implementation of these schemes.
He highlighted that the guarantee schemes were introduced during the Congress party’s first cabinet meeting after taking office in 2023. “All schemes have now been fully implemented. Under the Griha Lakshmi scheme, which had pending instalments, the issue has now been resolved, and women heads of households are receiving Rs 2,000 in cash every month,” Revanna said.
Revanna reassured the public that the government had no intention of discontinuing the guarantees. “Economic experts have agreed that the schemes have positively impacted the financial condition of the poor. Initially, Gujarat was seen as a model, but now Karnataka is emerging as a model state in terms of welfare schemes,” he added.
The government has set up a panel to monitor the five guarantee schemes in the state. As part of these initiatives, the Griha Lakshmi Guarantee Scheme has benefited 1.26 crore women, with Rs 36,000 crore directly transferred into their bank accounts since the scheme's launch. The initiative has now also been extended to gender minorities.
In addition, the government’s "Shakti Yojana" has benefitted approximately 376.7 crore people across the state, with an allocation of Rs 8,215 crore for this initiative.
Other important schemes under the Karnataka government's guarantee plan include Anna Bhagya (free rice for Below Poverty Line families), Griha Jyothi (free electricity up to 200 units), and Yuva Nidhi (financial incentives for fresh graduates and diploma holders).
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, in his address, noted that critics had predicted the state's development would be hampered by these ambitious welfare schemes, but the government has proved these claims to be unfounded.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in the Legislative Assembly in December 2024, revealed that the state had spent around Rs 63,382 crore on the guarantee schemes since the Congress government assumed power in 2023.