Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday, 19 June clarified that the state government's ongoing review of beneficiaries under its flagship guarantee schemes was not a precursor to discontinuing them, but a targeted effort to eliminate misuse of public funds and ensure benefits reach only eligible recipients. The clarification came amid widespread speculation that the Congress government in Karnataka was considering scaling back its guarantee programmes.

What the Review Is About

Kharge said the government remains committed to protecting deserving beneficiaries while weeding out ineligible claimants. 'Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has made it very clear that ineligible persons should not receive benefits. The Guarantee Implementation Committee has submitted a report highlighting instances of misuse. It is our duty to prevent the misuse of government funds,' he told reporters.

Among the irregularities flagged, Kharge noted that benefits under some schemes were reportedly being claimed in the names of deceased persons. 'We need to develop a mechanism over the next two to three months to ensure that benefits reach deserving individuals and that information regarding deceased beneficiaries is updated regularly,' he said.

The Scale of Karnataka's Guarantee Schemes

The Karnataka government spends more than ₹50,000 crore annually on its five flagship guarantee schemes. These include the Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for women across the state; Anna Bhagya, offering 10 kilograms of free foodgrains per month to each member of a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family; Gruha Lakshmi, under which women heads of households receive ₹2,000 per month; and Yuva Nidhi, which provides monthly assistance of ₹3,000 to unemployed graduates and ₹1,500 to diploma holders for up to two years.

Chief Minister Shivakumar is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha to deliberate on beneficiary verification. According to sources, a decision on a fresh verification exercise may emerge from that meeting.

Congress Wins Five of Seven Legislative Council Seats

Kharge also addressed the Congress party's sweep of five out of seven Karnataka Legislative Council seats, attributing the outcome to a leadership vacuum in the opposition. 'The results clearly indicate that there is a lack of confidence in the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)),' he said.

He pointed out that Congress candidates secured victory in the first round of counting, which he described as a direct rejection of BJP leader R. Ashoka, BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra, and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Kharge also rejected allegations of political inducement, stating that Congress had not approached legislators from rival parties. 'It was a secret ballot. The media was present throughout the process,' he said.

Mekedatu Project and Inter-State Water Row

On the Tamil Nadu Assembly's resolution opposing the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, Kharge said Karnataka would act in its own interest. 'We are only proposing to store surplus water to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru and other regions. There is no question of injustice to any state because of the Mekedatu project,' he said.

Other Remarks

Kharge also criticised BJP Members of Parliament from Karnataka over their response to issues such as Metro fare hikes, saying he had 'zero expectations' from the BJP leadership on matters concerning the state's interests. On an alleged corruption case involving a police officer in Kalaburagi, he said the matter would be dealt with seriously and appropriate action taken. Kharge expressed confidence that Congress would perform strongly in upcoming local body elections, including those to the Greater Bengaluru Authority and taluk and zilla panchayats.