The verification of beneficiaries under Karnataka's Gruha Jyothi Scheme is ongoing in the seven districts under the jurisdiction of Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM). The aim is to ensure only those who are eligible to receive the benefits of the State Government's free electricity scheme, but a delay has made many households frustrated and anxious - and this includes tenants and landlords.
According to HESCOM officials, field workers are continuing door-to-door verification of electricity consumers to confirm details received during registration for the Gruha Jyothi Scheme. However, the verification has not yet been completed in many residential areas, and many beneficiaries are not sure about the status of their subsidy.
A major issue for the verification teams is that many houses are locked when they visit them during the day. They are working when the residents are home, and officials cannot verify the occupancy and consumer information. The verification process has been longer than they anticipated.
The situation has made beneficiaries anxious and concerned that if verification is delayed or incomplete, they risk their name being removed from the scheme. In many cases, residents have been waiting for HESCOM officials to visit their homes, and others say they are not sure if they need to do so if they don't attend the verification visit.
Tenants have appeared to be one of the most concerned groups during the ongoing exercise. Since electricity connections are usually registered in the property owner's name, many tenants are worried that they may lose the Gruha Jyothi benefit if there is a mismatch between the electricity account details and their residential information.
To address these issues, HESCOM officials have said tenants need not panic. Consumers are asked to cooperate with the verification teams and provide the necessary documents or information whenever requested. If they are not available for verification, genuine beneficiaries will be provided with the opportunity to complete verification, officials said.
Owners of house properties have also questioned the electricity connections tenants use. HESCOM has recommended that landlords and tenants coordinate during the verification so accurate information can be recorded without delay.
The Gruha Jyothi Scheme, introduced by the Karnataka Government, provides free electricity up to the consumption limit for eligible households. Since then, the scheme has benefited many millions of domestic consumers in the state. Electricity supply companies have started periodic verification of beneficiary records to avoid misuse and corruption.
Officials are appealing to the residents not to believe rumours about immediate cancellation of benefits. They have advised consumers to keep their electricity account details and identification documents ready when checking their accounts when verification teams show up at their homes.
The verification process will continue until all eligible households are covered. HESCOM has assured consumers that the process will be done to update records and to make sure that the scheme reaches deserving beneficiaries without interruption.
Consumers are invited to stay in touch during the verification process or to contact the HESCOM office if they have any doubts about their application or beneficiary status. Such cooperation from tenants and landlords will enable the process to be completed quickly and thus not be an inconvenience, said the authorities.
