It will cost the state ₹30,000 crore annually to implement this flagship programme that will benefit over 1.28 lakh families.
Published Jul 20, 2023 | 7:25 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2023 | 7:25 AM
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah symbolically giving Gruha Lakshmi registration acknowledgments to beneficiaries during the inaugural ceremony in Bengaluru on 19 July. (Supplied)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the registration process for the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana — one of the five poll guarantees of the Congress under which women heads of families will receive ₹2,000 monthly —.at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 19 July.
It will cost the state exchequer ₹30,000 crore annually to implement this flagship programme that is expected to benefit over 1.28 lakh families.
The registration process will officially kick-start from Thursday. Beneficiaries can register for the scheme at Karnataka One, Bengaluru One, Grama One and Bapuji Seva Centres.
Apart from this, they can also register for the scheme at their doorsteps with the help of Praja Pratinidhi (People’s Representatives). The state government has also made it mandatory for all beneficiaries to book slots to submit applications using a helpline number.
However, the state government is yet to release a separate mobile application for the yojana.
Earlier, it had claimed that the government was planning to roll out an exclusive mobile application for Gurha Lakshmi Yojana in order to ease the registration process.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge, and Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa were present at the launch.
After several postponements in the launch date, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah finally inaugurated the scheme by symbolically giving Gruha Lakshmi registration acknowledgments to the three beneficiaries: Anandi L, Suma S Prabhakar, and Sathya Balaram, at the Banquet Hall in the Vidhana Soudha.
ಅಗತ್ಯ ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ಬೆಲೆಯೇರಿಕೆಯಿಂದ ನೊಂದಿರುವ ನಾಡಿನ ನನ್ನ ತಾಯಂದಿರ, ಅಕ್ಕ ತಂಗಿಯರ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಹೊರೆಯನ್ನು ತುಸು ತಗ್ಗಿಸಿ, ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಬದುಕು ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ನೆರವಾಗುವ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ನಾವು ಘೋಷಣೆ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಗೃಹಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಅರ್ಜಿ ಸಲ್ಲಿಕೆ ಪ್ರಕ್ರಿಯೆಗೆ ಇಂದು ಚಾಲನೆ ನೀಡಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
ಅರ್ಹ ಫಲಾನುಭವಿಗಳು ತಪ್ಪದೇ ಅರ್ಜಿ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ… pic.twitter.com/NbvU4buUKt
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 19, 2023
Siddaramaiah used the occasion to strongly criticise the BJP for its ideological opposition to women and the working class. He said that the BJP opposes the empowerment of these groups in economic terms.
“Karnataka is the only state in the entire country to implement the highly significant Gruha Lakshmi Yojana introduced by the Congress government,” he said.
“However, the BJP is obstructing the path of progress for the people. BJP lies that the Anna Bhagya Yojana was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
“But why have BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat not implemented programmes that provide free rice to the needy?” asked the chief minister.
“The state government is providing ₹35,000 crore every year to implement the yojana meant for women. Karnataka is the only state that has implemented a scheme worth ₹30,000 crore rupees, benefiting 1.28 crore families.”
“The BJP cannot tolerate this and resorts to mocking and trivialising the programme, causing disputes between mothers and daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law and daughters, and creating unnecessary conflicts,” Siddaramaiah fumed at the BJP.
He said: “The BJP-JD(S) had declared that it is impossible to implement all the five guarantees, but I and DK Shivakumar have shown that it is possible.”
“Inequality and discrimination will be eliminated if those who are economically weak are given financial power through special guarantees.”
“For hundreds of years, women were deprived of education and treated as lower class. When women gain financial empowerment, progress begins in society. If women are financially strong, it means the country has progressed,” reiterated the chief minister.
The registration process for the Gurha Lakshmi Yojana will begin across the state from Thursday.
The beneficiaries can apply for the scheme at Karnataka One, Grama, Bengaluru One, Grama One and Bapuji Seva Centres. There are over 11,000 such centres in the state.
The government has also announced a helpline number — 8147500500 and 1902 — for the beneficiaries to book their slots to register for the scheme.
The beneficiaries have to submit either Below Poverty Line (BPL), or Above Poverty Line (APL), or Antyodaya cards, bank account linked with Aadhar, and Aadhar-linked phone numbers of their husbands.
Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar told reporters: “The beneficiaries have to message their BPL or APL or Antyodaya card number to the 10-digit helpline number. The beneficiaries will be provided a time slot to register for the scheme.”
“If any beneficiary failes to turn up at a given time slot, they can register after 5 pm.”
“Every day, only 60 registrations will be made at each centre. We have initiated this process to avoid large queues and crowds outside the registration centres. As the chief minister said, the promised amount will be credited to the beneficiaries either on 16 or 17 August,” elaborated Minister Hebbalkar.
In order to speed up the registration process, the state government has introduced the concept of Praja Pratinidhis (People’s representatives).
Apart from the prescribed registration centres, the beneficiaries can also apply for the scheme with the help of people’s representatives at their doorsteps free of cost.
Minister Hebbalkar told reporters: “We are also introducing Praja Prathinidhis to hasten the registration process. These are volunteers, who will be helping beneficiaries to apply for this scheme at their doorsteps.”
“This is completely free of cost. This will mainly help in avoiding middlemen and agents. I also appeal to the people that if any volunteer or government servants at the registration centre demands money, one should immediately alert the authorities concerned,” the minister said, assuring action against such people.
She also said that anybody can volunteer for this. “The government-identified volunteers are not party workers. We are also not paying them any wages or honorarium for doing this work,” added Hebbalkar.
The state government is yet to launch an exclusive mobile application for Gruha Lakshmi Yojana.
Minister Hebbalkar had announced on multiple occasions that the government was working on rolling out a separate mobile application for Gruha Lakshmi Yojana in order to ease the registration process and avoid huge crowds at registration centres.
However, the government did not utter a word about the mobile application during the inaugural ceremony.
Hebbalkar had told reporters on Tuesday: “The mobile application is not in public domain. At present, we have only given access to volunteers and the employees at registration centres.”
