Karnataka to revise beneficiary lists for guarantee schemes, says CM

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced on Tuesday that the state government is revisiting its guarantee schemes to ensure they reach only the deserving beneficiaries. Speaking in Gadag, he said senior officers have been instructed to revise the beneficiary lists for schemes such as Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyoti.

The move is aimed at preventing leakages and misuse of public funds. Shivakumar urged all eligible beneficiaries to enrol with proper documents, stressing that phone numbers linked to bank accounts are mandatory. He warned that if third-party phone numbers are provided, fund transfers will not happen and the application will be rejected.

To improve implementation, the government will issue guidelines for forming a guarantee implementation committee at the gram panchayat level. MLAs are expected to constitute these committees within a scheduled time; otherwise, the government will step in. The Chief Minister also clarified that registration for the Bharat Jodo Yuva Sangh will be done online.

In a separate directive, Shivakumar asked all government officers to reside in their headquarters—district officers in district headquarters, taluk officers in taluk headquarters, and village-level officers in villages—so they remain accessible to the public and can resolve issues at their level.

He also announced the launch of the Praja Seva Department on September 5 to supervise grievance redressal across the state. District-in-charge ministers will hold public grievance meetings twice a month, and MLAs four times a month. If MLAs cannot hold these meetings, officials will go to the people. Grievances should be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner or Tehsildar in advance, with an aim to resolve problems on the spot.

Additionally, the government has launched a special programme to provide housing sites to the homeless. Those without sites can apply with appropriate documents, while those who already own sites are advised not to apply.