The Karnataka government has disbursed ₹97,813 crore on its five guarantee schemes since their launch in 2023, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s office announced after a review meeting on Monday.

The schemes—Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyoti, Anna Bhagya, Shakti, and Yuva Nidhi—aim to support women, youth, and low-income families but have sparked debate over fiscal sustainability.

According to the CMO, ₹50,005 crore has been spent on Gruha Lakshmi (₹2,000 monthly for women household heads), ₹18,139 crore on Gruha Jyoti (200 units of free electricity), ₹13,903 crore on Shakti (free bus travel for women), ₹11,821 crore on Anna Bhagya (10 kg rice per BPL family member), and ₹623 crore on Yuva Nidhi (unemployment aid of ₹3,000 for graduates, ₹1,500 for diploma holders).

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A March 2024 survey by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms reported 80.3 lakh families benefiting, with 264.9 crore free bus rides under Shakti and 90% of Anna Bhagya respondents seeking additional food items like pulses.

Siddaramaiah directed officials to update deceased beneficiaries’ lists monthly at the Panchayat level, remove ineligible BPL cardholders, and clarify GST filers’ eligibility for Gruha Lakshmi.

He also ordered measures to curb black-market sales of Anna Bhagya rice and explore region-specific grains. Critics, including the BJP, argue the schemes, consuming 15% of 2023-24 revenue expenditure, have cut infrastructure funds by ₹5,229 crore, pushing Karnataka’s fiscal deficit to ₹65,522 crore, per a 2025 CAG report. The government defends the schemes as vital for economic equity.

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