Bengaluru, Dec 24 (IANS) The lapses in the monthly payment of Rs 2,000 to more than 1 crore poor women, under the Gruha Lakhsmi scheme, have left them disappointed and upset.
Many of them are speaking out about financial difficulties arising out of it and urging the state government to restart the monetary assistance, as stipulated under the scheme.
The alleged lapses in the transfer of monetary assistance came into the spotlight during the recent Assembly session, when BJP MLA Mahesh Teninakai flagged the issue of pending instalments to women beneficiaries.
Karnataka Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar assured of clearing the pending instalments and cited procedural hurdles as the reason behind the lapse.
Notably, under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, launched in August 2023, about 1.2 crore women of poor households across Karnataka are entitled to monthly income assistance of Rs 2,000.
Many beneficiaries from across the state, having failed to receive Rs 2,000 in their accounts, slammed the authorities for the delay and urged the administration to expedite the procedure.
In the Bidar district, anger was palpable in the residents as they claimed that the money was not credited into their accounts for the last three to four months.
A couple of protesting women mocked the scheme, saying “guarantee scheme itself has lost its guarantee” and requested the Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, to intervene.
“We have not received the ₹2,000 for the past four months. Earlier, they said it would take another three months, but even after three months, the money has not come. What should we do now? There are festivals, and expenses are there. We are poor people and have been anxiously waiting for the pending amount,” said Martham, a Bidar resident.
Another resident named Sharadamma made a fervent appeal to the Chief Minister, urging that the money should be credited regularly every month without fail.
In Mysore, some beneficiaries vented their anger over the delay in payouts, for as long as five months, while others claimed that they hadn’t received anything for three months.
“None of us asked for Gruha Lakshmi. This government is playing a game in the name of guarantee. They have broken our trust,” said a resident.
Beneficiary Lakshmi said, “We have not received the money for two or three months. We did not ask the Congress government for this. It is deceiving people in the name of guarantee and playing a drama to give us guaranteed money.
Another beneficiary, Annapurna, said, “The Congress government has taken money in the name of women for election funds. They need funds for elections, so they are deceiving people by taking crores of rupees in the name of women.”
Leela Shanai, a Mysore native, said, “Congress government came to power in Karnataka by securing votes in the name of guarantees, and it is now betraying the people.”
Varalakshmi, a housewife in Chitradurga, said, “The Government has failed to deliver on its promise of providing Griha Lakshmi money every month. I took out a loan on the trust of Griha Lakshmi, and now I am facing a problem. There is a situation where the elderly do not even have money to buy medicine.
“The government should act on its promise and deposit the Griha Lakshmi money into the account,” she demanded.
Another housewife, Rekha, said that most women voted for Congress as they promised guarantees, but they have turned their back on us.
“The government is cheating the poor people. There is suspicion that the money allocated under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme is being misused. The money for the house, Lakshmi, should be paid in the coming days,” she said angrily.
–IANS
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