BENGALURU: Allocation in the state budget for the five guarantee schemes, introduced by the Congress government, could see a drop in the next financial year.
The government is also conducting a survey, overseen by the guarantee implementation committee, to ensure that the benefits are reaching the deserving people.
The last budget allocated Rs 57,000 crore to implement the Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, Shakti and Yuva Nidhi schemes. A report by the guarantee implementation committee stated that Rs 52,000 crore had already been spent by August-September. The government appointed the committee in February 2024 and former minister HM Revanna was made its chairman.
“In the next budget, the government is likely to allocate Rs 50,000 crore for the schemes and it is unlikely to exceed Rs 55,000 crore. Using information technology, it has been found that there were errors in GST and data tabulation. The committee discussed it with the chief minister at a recent meeting,” government sources said.
Revanna said that teams of 60-70 people in each district have taken up a door-to-door survey, getting feedback from the people. Details of those claiming benefits and the amount they have earned/ saved will also be collected. It will also help understand their problems, he added. “The number of beneficiaries cannot be reduced. The allocation will be calculated by the finance department and chief minister for better implementation of guarantees,” he said.
As per committee data, Rs 37,000 crore was allocated in the first phase when the schemes were launched. Under Gruha Lakshmi, 1.22 crore beneficiaries were identified and till August, Rs 30,285 crore was spent. The Gruha Jyothi scheme benefited 1.61 crore people and till September, Rs 10,259 crore was spent. Anna Bhagya helped 51.39 crore beneficiaries and Rs 8,433 crore was spent till July. An expenditure of Rs 7,696 crore was incurred to implement the Shakti scheme where 321 crore women travelled for free till October-end. Under the Yuva Nidhi scheme, the exchequer saw an expenditure of Rs 650 crore till September, benefiting 177 lakh students.