Karnataka Launches Door-to-Door Audit of Gruha Jyothi Electricity Scheme Beneficiaries

The Karnataka government on Wednesday launched a statewide door-to-door verification drive in Bengaluru and across the state to audit beneficiaries of the Gruha Jyothi free electricity scheme. The physical audit, which must be completed within two months, aims to identify and eliminate ineligible connections.

The Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides up to 200 units of free electricity per household, was one of the five guarantees made by the Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections. The new verification drive aims to ensure that only genuine households continue to receive the electricity subsidy.

Staff from all five electricity supply companies in the state—Bescom, Mescom, Hescom, Gescom, and CESC—will conduct the door-to-door visits. The government ordered the exercise following reports of misuse, including instances of commercial establishments and non-residents availing of the free electricity benefits.

During the visits, company staff will inspect and collect essential documents from consumers. Residents have been asked to keep their documents ready, including Aadhaar, voter IDs, PAN cards, ration cards, caste certificates, and rental agreements in the case of tenants.

The electricity company staff will record these details using a mobile application and upload the data to the Seva Sindhu portal. The verification process will check specific details such as the beneficiary's category and whether the beneficiary is an income tax payer. Staff will also collect signed declaration forms from the consumers during the home visits.

The opposition BJP has hit out at the verification drive. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka alleged that the state government launched the exercise because it does not have the required funds to finance the schemes. Ashoka further alleged that the objective of the drive is to exclude lakhs of poor and middle-class households from the scheme.