K’taka Gruha Laxmi scheme row: Why were women beneficiaries cheated, asks LoP Ashoka

Belagavi, Dec 17 (IANS) Following the Congress-led government in Karnataka admitting on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to a lapse in Gruha Laxmi dues, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka stated that nearly Rs 5,000 crore would have been swallowed had the BJP not raised the issue in the House.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi after staging a walkout from the Assembly, Ashoka further questioned Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar, asking why women beneficiaries were cheated.

He said the seven crore people of the state wait with hope that decisions beneficial to the poor and farmers will be taken. “The poor wait for the Gruha Laxmi money and for their ration. But the government has poured cold water on their hopes,” he said.

Calling it a government without shame or dignity, Ashoka demanded that the Gruha Laxmi amount be immediately credited to beneficiaries’ accounts. “It came to light that the money was not released only because Mahesh Tenginakayi and I pursued the issue. Otherwise, it would have gone unnoticed,” he alleged.

He accused the government of attempting to swallow Rs 5,000 crore.

“If we had not exposed it, nobody would have known,” he said, adding that funds had not been released to 10 districts. He also alleged that officials at district offices were threatened and instructed not to share information when sought.

“Is this a government of loot?” Ashoka asked.

He alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar threatens flat owners, while the “woman Minister” threatened officials to prevent information from coming out.

“Is this what you call a government?” he questioned.

Ashoka further asked why the Women and Child Welfare Minister had cheated women.

He questioned the need to conduct the House amid internal fights over toppling and installing the Chief Minister.

He said the entire government should have come together to run the legislature. “Ministers are not united in the House; they are divided and have split into two groups. Is this even a legislature?” he asked.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginakayi, who raised the issue, said that the Opposition raised its voice on the issue of the Gruha Laxmi scheme on behalf of 1.26 crore mothers in the state.

He said they had raised the issue concerning the money that should be given to these women. “Earlier, the Minister stated that there were 1.24 crore beneficiaries. Now the figure is being stated as 1.26 crore. There is a difference of two lakh beneficiaries,” he objected.

He said that initially, district officials had informed that the payments for the months of February and March had not been released. However, after the issue was raised in the Assembly, officials allegedly tried to give answers in line with the Minister’s version.

MLA Tenginakayi said he had been emailing the Director of the Women and Child Welfare Department for the past three days, seeking information on whether the Gruha Laxmi payments for February and March had been released.

“Despite repeated emails, no information has been provided for three days,” he criticised.

He questioned what was behind the silence and why officials were hesitant to share the information. He also alleged that he had sent an email to the Deputy Director in Belagavi on December 9, but the official had not been willing to provide any information till date.

“Even phone calls are not being answered,” he alleged.

It may be recalled that following high drama in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, the Congress-led government admitted to a lapse in the disbursement of Gruha Laxmi scheme instalments. Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar apologised for the error after strong protests by BJP MLAs.

–IANS

mka/pgh