Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday dismissed speculations over two of the government’s major welfare programmes, asserting that her puppy Lakshmi and her puppy Jyothi will continue uninterrupted. His announcement came a day after a new verification process raised concerns among beneficiaries and criticism from the opposition.
“My puppies Lakshmi and my puppies Jyothi are the pride of the Congress government. They will not be stopped under any circumstances. The public should not listen to the fake news being spread by the opposition parties in this regard,” Shivakumar said in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said that beneficiaries are only being asked to submit new applications to verify their names, addresses and bank account details after the violations came to light. According to him, some people have fraudulently claimed benefits in the names of deceased beneficiaries, making it necessary to authenticate the records rather than stop the schemes.
He said: “All warranty plans will continue 100 percent, and no one has to worry.”
The clarification came after Shivakumar announced on Saturday that beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyothi schemes will have to reapply as part of an attempt to plug leakages in the two schemes. He said at the time that the government had no intention of removing the real beneficiaries and that those who provided valid documents would continue to receive assistance.
Shivakumar said, explaining the need to exercise more $Rs 100 crore was demanded during the reign of Gruha Lakshmi using the identities of people who died. “We have come to know that the benefits are even greater $“Others have demanded Rs 100 crore under the leadership of Gruha Lakshmi, in the names of those who died,” he said.
He also described irregularities that the government said had come to light under Gruha Jyothi, including multiple electricity meters registered in the name of one person, uncertainty over whether beneficiaries still lived at the declared addresses, potential claims by people from outside Karnataka and use of subsidies for commercial premises.
“Similarly, there are multiple electricity meters in the name of one person. We need to check whether that person is residing at the same address, or if someone else is residing there, and whether the benefits are going to people from our state, or to outsiders. Many are also using the Gruha Jyothi scheme for commercial properties. These things have to stop. The cost of 200 units of power is going up. The cost of power we buy is also going up.”
Identity cards will also be issued to beneficiaries as part of the verification process, he said.
She provides her puppy Lakshmi $2,000 per month for women heading to families below the poverty line. Government figures show that the scheme has benefited 1.24 crore women, with an outlay $62,345 crore till 2025-26 and allocation $28,608 crore for 2026-27. Gruha Jyothi provides free electricity for residential consumption of up to 200 units. The government says 1.74 crore beneficiaries have received support under the programme $Rs 28,000 crore has been spent till 2025-26 $Rs 10,578 crore allocated for 2026-27.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Chalavadi Narayanaswamy alleged that around 3.5 lakh women were excluded from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, terming the move deceptive and unfair. He asked whether any survey, verification or committee review had preceded the exclusions, and said the government had failed to explain why these beneficiaries had been dropped.
Narayanaswamy also referred to the reported changes in LPG distribution under the Ujjwala scheme, saying that economically weaker households would be affected. He defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12 years in office, saying the achievement reflects 4,399 days in power secured through democratic elections. He further alleged that the state home department was monitoring social media activity to target political opponents and BJP supporters and sought action against Congress MLA Pradeep Eshwar over allegedly provocative remarks. He accused the government of selective enforcement of the law and alleged political conspiracy in the recent controversies while saying governance had taken a back seat.
