Row in Karnataka Assembly as BJP Alleges Two-Month Delay in Gruha Lakshmi Payments
A heated debate erupted in the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday over Karnataka's flagship welfare scheme, 'Gruha Lakshmi', bringing proceedings to a standstill. The opposition BJP staged a walkout, accusing the Congress government of two months' non-payment of dues and demanding answers about an alleged Rs 5,000 crore deficit.
In the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, a row broke out on Wednesday about the state’s major social welfare scheme, 'Gruha Lakshmi', causing a disruption in the proceedings. The opposition BJP had a walkout, alleging the two-month non-payment of dues by the Congress government due to an alleged deficit of Rs 5,000 crore.
Griha Lakshmi Yojana, one of the five major promises initiated by the Congress government after coming to power in 2023, assures providing financial assistance of ₹2,000 to women-headed BPL families every month.
According to official data, the program covers approximately 12.6 million beneficiaries across the state and is distributed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
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The controversy came about when BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai raised doubts in the assembly about why the payments for February and March of this year could not be credited into beneficiaries’ accounts. In response, Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar initially told the Assembly that all payments under the scheme had been made until August.
When questioned by the opposition, the minister later admitted that two monthly installments had indeed not been paid, leading to sharp protests by BJP MLAs and repeated disruptions of the session. BJP leaders accused the minister of misleading the House.
