Gruha Jyothi scheme takes largest share of guarantee spending in Bengaluru
The State government has spent ₹9,625 crore on free electricity for households in Bengaluru since August 2023.
The Gruha Jyothi scheme represents 46.65 per cent of the total expenditure on the five guarantee schemes within the Greater Bengaluru Authority limits, according to data released by the government on Wednesday, as reported by The Hindu.
Since its launch in August 2023, the State government has spent ₹9,625 crore to provide free electricity to 38,91,445 households in Bengaluru.
The total expenditure for the five guarantee schemes within the five city corporations of Bengaluru is ₹20,632.77 crore.
Gruha Lakshmi is the second-largest expenditure in the city, with ₹5,309.52 crore (25.73 per cent) spent. This is followed by Shakti at ₹3,963.61 crore (19.21 per cent), Anna Bhagya at ₹1,672.14 crore (8.10 per cent), and Yuva Nidhi at ₹62.50 crore (0.30 per cent).
The power department recently conducted a door-to-door survey to identify ineligible or bogus beneficiaries under Gruha Jyothi, though over one lakh beneficiaries reportedly refused to participate. The government is also preparing a blueprint for door-to-door verification for Gruha Lakshmi and has started work on issuing smart cards for Shakti scheme travellers.
The spending pattern in Bengaluru differs from the rest of Karnataka, where Gruha Lakshmi accounts for the largest share of the ₹1,54,861.58 crore State total. Expenditure within the Greater Bengaluru Authority limits makes up approximately 13.3 per cent of the total State spending on these five schemes.