The misuse of Gruha Lakshmi scheme came to light when the department sought data from a portal dedicated to issuing birth and death certificates (Image generated using AI).Families have continued to avail the benefits of the Karnataka Government’s Gruha Lakshmi scheme even after the registered beneficiaries are dead, the women and child development department has found. The Gruha Lakshmi scheme deposits Rs 2,000 into the accounts of women heads of households.According to sources within the department, families of approximately 2.5 lakh women across Karnataka have misused various guarantee schemes, including Gruha Lakshmi. In the case of Gruha Lakshmi alone, the department suspects that Rs 70 crore has been misappropriated. There are also suspicions that rations may have been collected in the names of deceased beneficiaries.Speaking to The Indian Express, Shamla Iqbal, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development and Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens, said that the issue came to light six months ago when the department sought data from E-Janma, a portal dedicated to issuing birth and death certificates.“We collected the information and decided to prevent the leaks from happening. The family members do not inform about the beneficiary’s death. We have decided to rope in Anganwadi workers and local officers to monitor it. We are also going to use technology to address the issue,” she added.The guarantee schemes were launched by the Congress government, which came to power in May 2023, with applications invited in June-July and fund transfers beginning in August that year. Since the e-KYC verification was done at the time of enrolment, there has been no mechanism to confirm whether beneficiaries are still alive, and in the two-and-a-half years since, a significant number have died without their families reporting it.An official said that initially, the Anganwadi workers, one per thousand residents, would be deployed to track deaths at the local level and promptly report them to superiors, enabling immediate suspension of payments to deceased accounts. Later, the technology-based application would regularly verify the beneficiaries’ life status.The department also noted that while the guarantee scheme implementation committee had earlier recommended life certificates once every two years, that interval is too long and creates more room for misuse.Story continues below this adThe Karnataka Government for the financial year 2025-26 has allocated Rs 28,608 crore for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. There are about 1.25 crore women household heads who are presently availing the benefit.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Karnataka