The Department of Women and Child Welfare in Mysuru has recovered nearly Rs 6.5 crore from deceased beneficiaries of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. During a verification drive, officials found that 13,437 beneficiaries had died after the scheme's launch. Out of a total of 6.7 lakh registered beneficiaries in the district, these 13,437 were identified as deceased.
Recovery Process and Amounts
Following the identification, the department initiated recovery proceedings and has so far recovered Rs 6.3 crore from 5,851 beneficiaries by accessing deposits in their bank accounts, officials stated. The drive is part of efforts to streamline beneficiary data and prevent wrongful disbursal under the scheme. Officials said further verification is underway to identify additional discrepancies and ensure that benefits reach only eligible recipients.
Scheme Background
The state government has been providing a monthly incentive of Rs 2,000 to a woman head of a family since the launch of the scheme in August 2023, with the main intention of women's empowerment, poverty elimination, and highlighting the role of women in the family. The government has also extended this benefit to sexual minorities across the state. The Department of Women and Child Welfare, which was entrusted with handling the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, has released Rs 3,096 crore to nearly 6.7 lakh beneficiaries from the launch of the scheme in Mysuru district until the end of January this year.
Complaints and Verification Drive
As the department received complaints from the Mysuru District Guarantee Implementation Committee members, banks, the public, and other sources that even deceased beneficiaries were receiving benefits—with their kith and kin holding ATM cards and withdrawing money even after the beneficiary's death—the department stepped up the drive. Monthly verification found that 5,851 beneficiaries' accounts had money withdrawn after their death.
Speaking to TOI, District Women and Children Development Officer Basavaraju said that the department gave directions to all anganwadi staff to collect details of Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries who died in their areas and report them to their Child Development Programme Officer every month. The CDPO verifies such complaints and recommends to senior officers in the Women and Child Welfare Department to stop releasing incentives to deceased beneficiaries. Instructions were also given to banks to share information about money deposited into deceased beneficiaries' bank accounts and money withdrawn by relatives of deceased family members in such cases.
Banks also review the beneficiaries list every month to ensure funds are not credited into the accounts of deceased beneficiaries. The government has authorized banks to recover such amounts, said Basavaraju.
Committee Oversight
District Guarantee Implementation Committee Chairman Arunkumar said that the committee reviews the implementation of guarantee schemes every month with the concerned officials, initiating measures so that benefits reach genuine beneficiaries. In case of the death of the woman head of a family, the benefit will be extended to another woman head of the same family, but benefits extended to the deceased beneficiary cannot be utilized by others, he stated.
A total of 6.7 lakh beneficiaries were registered under the scheme in the district, of which 13,437 were identified as deceased. The Gruha Lakshmi scheme has so far released Rs 3,096 crore to nearly 6.7 lakh beneficiaries from its launch in Mysuru district.
