MANGALURU: Around Rs 22 crore has reportedly been transferred to the bank accounts of deceased beneficiaries under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme in Dakshina Kannada district, prompting district authorities to initiate corrective measures.
Chairing the District-Level Guarantee Schemes Implementation Review Committee meeting at the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat on Tuesday, committee president Bharat Mundodi directed officials to take immediate steps to recover the money credited to the accounts of deceased beneficiaries.
Expressing concern over information received from the state office regarding continued transfer of funds into inactive accounts, Mundodi instructed officials to collect beneficiary details and ensure that the amounts deposited are returned to the government.
He also pointed out discrepancies in departmental records, where some living beneficiaries had allegedly been marked as deceased. He ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the issue and asked officials to submit a detailed report at the next review meeting.
Officials from the Women and Child Development Department informed the meeting that under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, there are 4,25,759 ration card holders in the district, of whom 3,82,178 beneficiaries have been registered so far.
Mundodi said that if details such as the deceased beneficiary’s name, bank account number and bank information are available, action could be initiated through banks to freeze transactions.
He noted that death records are also available at Village Accountant offices and directed the department to coordinate with local authorities concerned to prevent further release of assistance to deceased beneficiaries.
He further instructed officials to immediately remove names of deceased beneficiaries from the list upon receipt of death certificates and take steps to suspend related bank accounts wherever necessary.