BENGALURU: Over 52,000 women out of the 1.26 crore beneficiaries have been removed from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme across the state, as they were in the records of the GST or Income Tax Departments as taxpayers, said Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar during a discussion on the ‘motion of thanks’ to the Governor’s address at the Legislative Council on Monday.
BJP MLC PH Poojar had complained that 712 women in Bagalkot district have been removed from the scheme, citing that they were taxpayers. Though they provided documents to prove otherwise, they were not included back under the scheme, he added.
Hebbalkar replied, saying, “The government had said the scheme would be extended to only women with BPL, APL and Antyodaya cards, but not GST and IT payees. Women knowingly or unknowingly would have registered for GST with the intention of doing some business or for some other reason. Some would have paid income tax too.”
She said her department had no role in removing the beneficiaries. If someone’s name appears in the database of the Income Tax Department or the GST their names get rejected automatically from the scheme even if they are no longer ‘taxpayers’.
She said her department has written multiple letters to IT and GST departments, stating that those who are not paying taxes too have been mentioned in their databases. Of the 52,000 women removed from the scheme, 20,000 have been added back after finding out that they were not taxpayers, she added.
Even now, eligible women can get enrolled for the scheme, she said. She told Poojar that she will look into his complaint and verify it.