Life certificate to be made mandatory for Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed the Chief Secretary of the State government to immediately review and take action on making the submission of life certificate mandatory for beneficiaries of the Griha Lakshmi scheme, one of the government’s five guarantee schemes, similar to retired government employees who are required to submit life certificate annually to get pension.

The direction followed a request submitted by State Guarantee Authority vice-chairman and MLC Dinesh Gooli Gowda to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Acting on the request, the Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to examine the matter.

Under the scheme, ₹2,000 is being credited every month to the bank accounts of beneficiaries since June 2023. The scheme covers women identified as heads of families in Antyodaya, BPL, and APL ration cards issued by the Food and Civil Supplies Department.

According to official data, financial assistance amounting to about ₹57,300 crore has so far been disbursed to 1,24,12,543 eligible beneficiaries.

In his representation, Mr. Gowda pointed out that while the details of deceased beneficiaries are periodically verified, there are instances where assistance continues to be credited even after the beneficiary’s death. He stressed the need to prevent such leakages.

He urged the government to introduce a system similar to that followed for pension disbursement.