Karnataka govt all set to launch women financial aid scheme 'Gruha Lakshmi' tomorrow
Bengaluru, Aug 29: Fulfilling another key pre-poll promise, the Congress government in Karnataka would launch 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme, offering monthly aid of Rs 2,000 each to about 1.1 crore women heads of family, at a public function in Mysuru on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar offered prayers on Tuesday at the famous Chamundeshwari temple in the district headquarters town of Mysuru, where the scheme would be launched by AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge at the function that would also be attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
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"As many as 1.1 crore women heads of households will be given Rs 2,000 every month," Siddararamaiah told reporters in Mysuru, his home district. The government has earmarked Rs 17,500 crore for 'Gruha Lakshmi' programme in the current financial year.
'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme is one of the five pre-poll 'guarantees' of the Congress, which ousted the BJP from power in the Assembly elections held in May.
Asked if implementing the 'guarantees' was a challenge, the Chief Minister said it was no so. "There should be political will. Our party and government has political will," he pointed out.
The Chief Minister said opposition parties were alleging that the government would not be able to implement the 'guarantees' and that it would lead to financial bankruptcy. But we have been successfully implementing them, he added.
Siddaramaiah on Monday had said about one lakh people would gather at the public function to mark the launch of the flagship scheme.
He had stressed that it would be a government function in which Kharge and Gandhi would attend the event in their capacity as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and as Lok Sabha member, respectively. "It's not a party function," he had said.
The Chief Minister had said the state government has already implemented three of the five 'guarantees' (pre-poll promises) -- 'Shakti', 'Gruha Jyothi' and 'Anna Bhagya' -- and noted that 'Gruha Lakshmi' is the fourth one. The fifth one is the 'Yuva Nidhi' scheme that promises to provide unemployment allowance to the state's youth.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರು ಇಂದು ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಚಾಮುಂಡಿಬೆಟ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಿ ತಾಯಿ ಚಾಮುಂಡೇಶ್ವರಿ ದರ್ಶನ ಪಡೆದು, ಪೂಜೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದರು.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) August 29, 2023
ಉಪ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @DKShivakumar, ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮತ್ತು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಸಚಿವೆ @laxmi_hebbalkar ಅವರು ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಹಲವು ನಾಯಕರು ಈ ವೇಳೆ ಜೊತೆಗಿದ್ದರು. pic.twitter.com/CMr9C5MVmZ
ಕುಟುಂಬ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆಯ ಹೊಣೆಹೊತ್ತ ನಾಡಿನ ಕೋಟಿಗೂ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ನೆರವು ನೀಡಿ, ಬೆಲೆಯೇರಿಕೆಯ ಸಂಕಷ್ಟಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಸ್ವಾವಲಂಬಿ ಬದುಕು ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಅವರ ಕನಸನ್ನು ನನಸಾಗಿಸುವ ಗೃಹಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಯೋಜನೆ ಜಾರಿಗೆ ಕ್ಷಣಗಣನೆ ಆರಂಭಗೊಂಡಿದೆ.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) August 29, 2023
ನಾಳೆ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 11 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಮಹಾರಾಜ ಕಾಲೇಜು ಮೈದಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯಲಿರುವ ಸಮಾರಂಭಕ್ಕೆ… pic.twitter.com/y94LZ9LqpP
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
