New Delhi: The Karnataka Assembly witnessed sharp confrontations on Wednesday after the opposition BJP accused the Congress government of failing to release two months of payments under the Gruha Lakshmi welfare scheme, alleging a possible financial lapse amounting to nearly Rs 5,000 crore. The standoff led to repeated disruptions and a walkout by BJP legislators, forcing the House to be adjourned for over an hour.
The Gruha Lakshmi scheme is one of the five major guarantees announced by the Congress after assuming power in 2023. It provides a monthly assistance of Rs 2,000 to women heads of Below Poverty Line households through a Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism. The scheme currently covers about 1.26 crore beneficiaries across Karnataka.
The controversy began when a BJP legislator raised concerns that payments for February and March had not been credited to beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Responding in the House, the Women and Child Welfare Minister initially stated that payments had been made up to August. However, after sustained questioning, she later acknowledged that two instalments were pending, triggering protests from the opposition.
BJP members accused the minister of providing contradictory information and misleading the House. They argued that with monthly payouts amounting to roughly Rs 2,500 crore, the delay of two instalments raised serious questions about the handling of public funds. Opposition leaders demanded a clear explanation on where the money had gone and why the delay had not been disclosed earlier.
As tensions escalated, BJP legislators entered the well of the House, raised slogans, and stalled proceedings. The Speaker attempted to restore order but was compelled to adjourn the session amid continuing disruptions.
The minister rejected allegations of any scam, asserting that the scheme operates entirely through direct bank transfers without intermediaries. She said that 23 instalments had already been successfully disbursed and that the programme continued to benefit over a crore women across the state. She described the allegations as baseless and dismissed claims of misappropriation.
The Deputy Chief Minister defended the government, shifting focus to pending central assistance for state projects. He cited unfulfilled funding commitments announced in the Union Budget and urged the opposition to raise those issues with equal intensity.
The issue is expected to dominate upcoming Assembly sessions, with the opposition demanding accountability and the government maintaining that the scheme remains transparent and intact.
