BANGALORE: On August 30th, the Karnataka state government, under Congress rule, officially launched the 'Gruha Lakshmi' program. This initiative stands as a fulfillment of one of the five electoral pledges presented by the party during its campaign. Rahul Gandhi, a Member of Parliament representing Congress, arrived in Bengaluru ahead of the program's inauguration to oversee the process of directly transferring funds to the beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

The program was introduced during a public event in Mysuru, graced by the presence of the Chief Minister of the state, Siddaramiah, as well as the national president of Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, along with other prominent figures within the party.

Key Highlights of the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme:

Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP, facilitated the transfer of funds to the beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

The initiative entails the provision of a monthly assistance of Rs. 2000 to the female heads of families falling under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. The state of Karnataka has allocated a substantial annual budget of Rs. 32,000 crore to support the implementation of this scheme.

Eligibility for the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme extends to women identified as family heads on Antyodaya, Below Poverty Line (BPL), and Above Poverty Line (APL) ration cards. Each family will have a single beneficiary for this program.

The scheme is projected to benefit approximately 1.28 crore female family heads in Karnataka. These funds will be directly deposited into their bank accounts, starting from the launch date.

As stated by KC Venugopal, the General Secretary of Congress, this stands as the "largest-ever welfare scheme for women" globally. He elaborated that the Karnataka government, led by Siddaramiah, aims to distribute Rs. 2000 to 1.28 crore women through this groundbreaking initiative. Venugopal emphasized the empowerment of women as a means to strengthen India.

The scheme excludes women who are government employees, taxpayers, or part of families where the husband pays income tax or files GST returns.

The fundamental objective of the initiative is to achieve gender balance by extending financial support to housewives engaged in household responsibilities.

Eligible women family heads must possess an Above Poverty Line (APL)/Below Poverty Line (BPL)/Antyodaya card, a bank-linked Aadhaar card, bank account details, and an Aadhaar-linked phone number. For those without Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, a passbook can be provided.

Registration for the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme is possible both online and offline. The online registration portal is accessible for interested individuals.

During its electoral campaign in Karnataka, the Congress party pledged five key guarantees to the people: 200 units of free electricity for all households (Gruha Jyoti); a monthly assistance of Rs. 2000 to female family heads (Gruha Lakshmi); 10 kg of free rice for each member of BPL households (Anna Bhagya); Rs. 3,000 per month for unemployed graduates and Rs. 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders (both aged 18-25) for a duration of two years (Yuva Nidhi); and free public transport for women in buses (Uchita Prayana).

Karnataka Launches 'Gruha Lakshmi' Scheme: Empowering Women and Families