Row In Karnataka Assembly: BJP Flags Rs 5,000 Crore Shortfall In Gruha Lakshmi Scheme

The BJP staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly, alleging a possible Rs 5,000 crore scam in the implementation of the Congress government’s Gruha Lakshmi welfare scheme after the Women and Child Welfare Minister acknowledged that two monthly instalments had not been disbursed.

The Gruha Lakshmi scheme, one of the five guarantees announced by the Congress after it came to power in 2023, provides Rs 2,000 per month to women heads of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. Implemented through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the scheme covers around 1.26 crore beneficiaries across the state.

The issue was raised in the House by BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai, who questioned why payments for February and March had not been credited to beneficiaries’ bank

accounts.

In response, Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar initially told the assembly that payments under the scheme had been made till August. Following sustained questioning by opposition members, the minister later acknowledged that two instalments had not been paid, prompting protests from BJP legislators and their subsequent walkout.

BJP leaders accused the minister of misleading the House. BJP MLA Bharat Shetty said, “The minister avoided a direct answer and shifted her stand repeatedly. We are talking about Rs 2,000 per beneficiary for around 1.26 crore women. That comes to roughly Rs 2,500 crore per month. For two months, it is close to Rs 5,000 crore. We want to know where this money has gone.”

Shetty said the government had sufficient time to clarify the issue, adding, “Four days is enough time for any minister to get details from the finance department. Coming to the House with an apology instead of an answer is not acceptable.”

Rejecting the allegation of a scam, Hebbalkar called the charge “laughable” and defended the DBT-based nature of the scheme.

“This is money sent directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts,” she said, adding, “There are no middlemen involved. How can there suddenly be a scam in a DBT-based scheme that is being discussed and appreciated across the country?”

The minister said 23 instalments had already been paid under the scheme and reiterated that nearly 1.26 crore women had benefited so far.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also came to Hebbalkar’s defence, shifting the focus to what he described as the Centre’s failure to release funds promised to Karnataka. Referring to the Union Budget allocation for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project, he alleged that the funds had not been released.

“You should question that lie as well,” Shivakumar told the opposition.