Three years after the Congress rode to power in Karnataka on its promise of five guarantees, the state government is reviewing the welfare schemes’ implementation. Though belated, it is a wholly necessary exercise as the involvement of public funds demands accountability. After the State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority flagged lakhs of ineligible beneficiaries, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has issued strict orders that all ineligible beneficiaries be removed from the list.
The brief is clear: only families holding below-poverty-line or BPL cards are eligible for Anna Bhagya (free grains) and Gruha Lakshmi (₹2,000 a month to women family heads), while only voters of Karnataka with local Aadhaar cards are eligible for Gruha Jyoti (free power of 200 units), Shakti (free bus ride for women) and Yuva Jyoti (temporary financial aid for graduates).
The Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyoti guarantees are being especially targeted for streamlining, with the government putting in place a process to re-register beneficiary details. It follows multiple audits over the past two years that revealed their widespread misuse. Benefits have been claimed by those holding fake BPL cards, non-voters and even in the name of deceased women. The free power scheme, meant for domestic use, was found to be channelled to commercial ventures at some places. The scheme benefits 1.7 crore people and costs the exchequer ₹800 crore. The non-voter factor is also bound to create ripples, as at least 10 lakh beneficiaries are migrant workers.
The schemes, which cumulatively cost the government around ₹60,000 crore a year, have led to a revenue deficit of ₹9,271 crore. The BJP has made political capital of it, citing irregularities, lack of resultant development and, lately, the glitches in beneficiary lists. The Karnataka schemes have often been dismissed as ‘freebies’; but the truth is that governments of all political hues have launched their own versions across the country. The welfare-development debate has thrown up a surprisingly positive analysis. The schemes have helped alleviate poverty, increase families’ disposable incomes and allowed women more mobility. At least 48 percent of the women surveyed asserted that the schemes were of great help, and only 8 percent played down their benefits. The authorities should heed that while continuing to weed out fraud and inefficiency. The savings thus generated can then be channelled into development.
