K’taka govt mulling to facilitate voluntarily opting out of guarantee schemes

Bengaluru, March 4 (IANS) The Karnataka Congress government is mulling to facilitate those who voluntarily want to opt out from getting the benefits under the guarantee schemes.

H.M. Revanna, the Chairman of the Guarantee Implementation Committee, reacting to the matter in New Delhi, said on Tuesday that some women in Karwar city stated that they “do not need” the guarantee schemes and that they should reach the poor instead.

“In light of this, we are considering setting up a system for those who voluntarily wish to opt out of the guarantee schemes,” said Revanna.

Revanna has further stated that he had already spoken to the national leaders K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also Karnataka in-charge regarding the implementation of the guarantee schemes.

Revanna said that the guarantees were implemented during the first cabinet meeting held by the Congress after assuming the power.

“All schemes are implemented. Under the Gurha Laxmi scheme, three months’ instalments were pending and it’s been arranged now. Under the Gruha Laxmi scheme, the government is providing Rs 2,000 cash incentive every month for all women heads of the family. We will not stop guarantees. The economic experts have opined that the guarantees have improved the financial state of the poor. Earlier, Gujarat was projected as the model. Now, Karnataka is becoming the model,” he stated.

He said that the guarantees panel will monitor the implementation of the five poll guarantee schemes of the Karnataka government.

In order to increase the economic empowerment of women in the state, Rs 2,000 is being given to the female head of the family every month under the Gruha Laxmi Guarantee Scheme. 1,26,24,547 women beneficiaries have been registered under the said scheme and since the inception of the scheme, Rs.36,000 crores have been directly deposited in the accounts of the beneficiaries. The facility of Gruha Laxmi Scheme has now been extended to the gender minorities as well.

Under the government’s ambitious project “Shakti Yojana”, since the launch of the said project till Jan 17, 2025, about 376.70 crore beneficiaries of the State have benefited from the Shakti Yojana.

The government has allocated a grant of Rs 8,215 crore for this purpose. Besides, the government guarantee schemes include Anna Bhagya (free 10 kilograms of rice for every individual of BPL family), Gruha Jyothi (free power up to 200 watts) and Yuva Nidhi (Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 monthly incentive for fresh graduates and diploma holders for two years).

The Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot in his address claimed that many predicted that the state would lag behind in development and the financial system of the state would deteriorate due to the ambitious welfare schemes launched by the government. The government has proved the prediction to be false.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had told the Legislative Assembly in December, 2024 that the government has spent around Rs 63,382 crore on its five guarantee schemes ever since it came to power in 2023.

–IANS

mka/dan