Karnataka's Free Power Scheme Under Scanner: Verification Drive Ignites Political Firestorm

The Karnataka government kicked off a major door-to-door verification drive on July 1 for its popular Gruha Jyothi scheme, which offers free electricity to households. This move, aimed at rooting out misuse and ensuring benefits reach only eligible residents, has immediately sparked a political firestorm, with the opposition BJP accusing the ruling Congress of trying to reduce beneficiaries under false pretenses. Launched in July 2023, the Gruha Jyothi scheme provides up to 200 units of free power to domestic consumers, with eligibility based on average consumption from April 2022 to March 2023. However, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar highlighted concerns about commercial establishments wrongly benefiting and multiple connections registered to single individuals. Now, staff from all five state Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs) are visiting homes, asking beneficiaries to produce documents like Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, ration card, and even caste certificate, along with tenancy agreements for renters. The state has already spent Rs 28,000 crore on the scheme for 1.74 crore beneficiaries, with another Rs 10,578 crore allocated for 2026-27. This comprehensive re-verification, conducted via mobile applications and declaration forms, seeks to plug 'leakages' but faces strong pushback from BJP leader R. Ashoka, who questions the necessity of documents like PAN and caste certificate, calling it a betrayal of pre-election promises. As meter readers continue their visits, the coming weeks will reveal the true impact of this stringent check on the scheme's beneficiary count and the ongoing political tussle over welfare commitments in Karnataka.