Women wait in queues at a bank to apply for the Karnataka government's Gruha Lakshmi scheme, in Chikmagalur, Karnataka.
Credit: PTI Photo
The state government’s ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme which provides financial aid of Rs 2,000 to women heads of the family, a part of the ambitious five guarantees, is yet to reach a significant portion of its target audience. To date, 88% of 1.2 crore beneficiaries have received the amount for the first month after the scheme was implemented, however, at least 7.5% of women have complained that they have not received even the first month’s instalment. Since September, 26 lakh women, or 21% of total beneficiaries have not received the amount.
Officials cite a mismatch in name in the Aadhaar card and bank passbook, failure to link the Aadhaar card and wrong address as the reason behind the same.
“The scheme is helpful in providing some relief after prices of basic commodities have risen. I have to pay Rs 200 if I want to buy a kg of dal,” says Vasantha, a resident of Hassan city. The monthly disbursal of financial aid has been patchy at best. “I received money the first month and after that for the next two months I didn’t get,” she says. While she has received the pending amount this month, her neighbour has not been fortunate.
Mani, who applied in a batch among other women from her neighbourhood in Hassan recounts, “Several other women and I have not received the amount since the first month even though I was told when I registered that there was no issue with my application,” she says.
In Yadgir, Gowri Hukkeri, an activist, estimates that about a quarter of women who applied for the Gruha Lakshmi programme are yet to receive at least a month’s worth or more of the financial aid. “Officials have asked women with a mismatch in name between Aadhar and bank passbook to come back to rectify the error. Others have problems with linking their bank accounts with the Aadhar card,” she says.
However, it is not clear when the women are expected to come back to register.
While these are some of the reasons that officials generally quote, Deepa R, a resident of Haveri district explains that beneficiaries' concerns can be dismissed on the grounds that they would eventually receive the financial aid. “I do not know what the problem with my application is. I stopped receiving money after the first month. When I approached the district administration, they told me that my name was in the third list, and the money would reach me in fifteen days,” she says.
Activists say that such dismissals can confuse beneficiaries who might need to intervene to correct spelling errors in names or addresses and link problems with government ID.
Additionally, Hukkeri explains that in some cases, women heads of the family were receiving 10 kg of rice under the Annabhagya scheme.
“However, the same women have stopped receiving amount under the Gruhalakshmi scheme,” she says.
To resolve these problems, State Women and Child Development Department Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, says, “ I have directed the officials to go door to door with the cooperation of Anganwadi workers and settle the problems in registration.”