Karnataka’s flagship Gruha Jyothi Scheme (one of the state government’s five guarantee programmes) may be hit badly as Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) is reportedly planning to remove nearly 1.42 lakh consumers from the free electricity scheme after a four-month verification and physical survey conducted by BESCOM to find out whether genuine beneficiaries are still getting benefits or ineligible ones are continuing to get free electricity. Consumers who did not cooperate with the survey or furnish documents may lose their eligibility under the scheme.
The Gruha Jyothi Scheme was introduced by the Karnataka government to give free electricity to residential consumers (subject to consumption limits and conditions prescribed under the scheme). It has given huge relief to households in the state. Authorities reportedly reviewed the whole thing to ensure that only eligible people benefit from it, but a recent survey apparently found large numbers of consumers who did not participate in verification and are still eligible.
Four-Month BESCOM Survey Completed, 1.42 Lakh Consumers Under Scrutiny
BESCOM had reportedly started the verification exercise about four months ago to check the eligibility of consumers registered under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme. Officials went house-to-house and checked documents related to them to ascertain whether they were eligible for free electricity or not.
1.42 lakh consumers did not cooperate with the survey officials: some beneficiaries avoided verification while others reportedly failed to submit documents. The survey has now been completed, and BESCOM is said to be looking at removing those consumers from the scheme.
The action being proposed would ensure that the government’s electricity subsidy programme reaches eligible residential households, but the final decision about cancelling benefits will be taken only after the survey report is examined by concerned authorities.
Consumers who have not verified may find it difficult to continue receiving free electricity benefits if the government goes ahead with the proposed action.
Verification Conducted Across Eight Districts Under BESCOM
The physical verification and re-survey were reportedly done in eight districts under BESCOM’s jurisdiction (Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Davanagere and Chitradurga).
BESCOM has reportedly registered 74 lakh residential consumers under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme in its service area. A large-scale verification was done to check the eligibility of beneficiaries and discrepancies in the registration records.
The 1.42 lakh consumers who allegedly did not cooperate with the survey are part of the total registered beneficiaries. Authorities reportedly are looking into whether these consumers should continue to get electricity subsidy or not.
The survey has been getting attention because Gruha Jyothi Scheme is one of the major welfare schemes of the Karnataka government. Removing beneficiaries will directly affect households who rely on the free electricity facility to manage their monthly expenses.
BESCOM to Submit Survey Report to Energy Department
After the four-month verification exercise, BESCOM is reportedly ready to submit a survey report to the Karnataka Energy Department. The report will have details of how it was done, no of consumers who did not cooperate and beneficiaries eligible/not eligible.
The Energy Department and the state government will now look into the report before taking a final call on whether to remove consumers from the Gruha Jyothi Scheme or not.
If the government accepts the proposal, then those consumers may lose their free electricity benefits from next month. They may have to pay their regular electricity bills as per the tariff structure then.
However, cancellation of benefits for all 1.42 lakh consumers is not confirmed yet. The final decision will be taken by the Energy Department and the Karnataka government after reviewing the survey findings.
Gruha Jyothi Beneficiaries Advised to Complete Verification
The above news is a reminder for Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries that their registration details and required documents needed should be correct and updated. Consumers who have not been part of the verification process should watch out for official communication from BESCOM on further requirements.
Beneficiaries should also check if there is any information about the proposed cancellation through official BESCOM announcements or the Energy Department before assuming that their free electricity benefits have been withdrawn.
The Gruha Jyothi Scheme remains an important financial relief programme for millions of households in Karnataka. The review of 1.42 lakh beneficiaries proposed by the government is likely to become a major issue in the days to come as it examines the survey report.
Consumers under BESCOM’s jurisdiction will have to wait for the official announcement about the fate of beneficiaries before they can decide what to do. Until a final decision is made, we should not treat as a confirmed cancellation what was reported as a proposal to cancel free electricity benefits.
Comments