Karnataka says it has recovered ₹42 crore paid to deceased Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries

At a Bengaluru review meeting on Monday, Karnataka said it had recovered about ₹42 crore from ₹117.5 crore deposited in the accounts of deceased Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries.

Guarantee Committee member and MLC Dinesh Gooligowda said government records identified 1.99 lakh beneficiaries as deceased, but their status had not been updated before payments were made. Gruha Lakshmi provides ₹2,000 a month to the female head of each eligible household in Karnataka.

The payments were flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General. As the government prepares to release the scheme’s 33rd monthly instalment, D K Shivakumar directed officials not to hold up payments during verification.

Verification for Gruha Jyothi, the electricity-related guarantee scheme, will now run until the end of September. Electricity supply companies had completed 70% of the exercise, with officials reportedly facing difficulty entering some apartment complexes and gated communities. The companies are also set to begin filtering beneficiaries this month.