Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday directed officials to tighten monitoring and plug loopholes in the state’s flagship guarantee schemes, while ensuring that eligible beneficiaries continue to receive benefits without interruption.
Chairing a review meeting at the Vidhana Soudha Committee Room, Shivakumar stressed that the government’s focus was to prevent misuse of welfare schemes rather than deny assistance to genuine beneficiaries. He said that while ineligible claims and fraudulent practices must be curbed, no deserving beneficiary should face inconvenience during the verification process.
The Chief Minister specifically reviewed the implementation of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme and noted that several beneficiaries had their monthly assistance automatically adjusted against bank loans, prompting some to change their accounts. He instructed officials to ensure that such technical and banking-related issues do not hinder the delivery of benefits.
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Officials also informed the meeting that in some cases, payments under the scheme were being credited to accounts of deceased beneficiaries. Shivakumar directed immediate corrective action to prevent such lapses and asked departments to strengthen real-time data updates, particularly regarding beneficiary status and bank account validation.
The review also flagged concerns about possible misuse of payment systems, including cases involving Airtel Payments Bank accounts linked to UPI transactions and instances where benefits were credited to accounts outside Karnataka. The Chief Minister directed officials to investigate these issues and ensure that welfare benefits are restricted to eligible residents of the state.
Citing observations from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, officials noted irregularities such as multiple beneficiaries using a single bank account and duplicate registrations. Shivakumar instructed departments to strengthen verification systems and enhance digital safeguards to prevent financial leakage, reiterating that public funds must strictly reach intended beneficiaries.
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