"We will not stop guarantee schemes, no need to worry": Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 14 : Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivkumar on Sunday dismissed rumours about the discontinuation of the Congress government's guarantee schemes, asserting that welfare programmes such as Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyothi will continue without interruption.
CM Shivakumar said the public should not be misled by what he described as false propaganda by opposition parties regarding the future of the schemes.
In a statement on X, "Guarantee is there, guarantee will be there! We will not stop guarantee schemes, no need to worry. The Congress government's people-centric guarantee schemes like Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyothi will not be suspended for any reason. The public should not pay heed to the false propaganda and rumours from opposition parties that these schemes are being stopped", he said.
https://x.com/DKShivakumar/status/2066090805203464703
"It has come to notice that some individuals are creating fake records in the names of deceased persons to avail benefits of the schemes. Therefore, a review process has been undertaken to verify the names, addresses, and bank account details of genuine beneficiaries. This is not a step to stop the schemes; rather, it is a measure to ensure that the benefits of the schemes reach the eligible beneficiaries properly. Beneficiaries need not worry at all; all guarantee schemes will continue as before, he said.
Earlier on June 11, Congress leader Ramesh Babu strongly defended the Karnataka government's Gruha Lakshmi scheme and hit out at BJP leader R Ashok, accusing him of misleading the public and creating confusion among beneficiaries.
Reacting to Ashok's criticism over the alleged exclusion of beneficiaries, Ramesh Babu said the BJP leader had no moral standing to question the implementation of the welfare scheme.
"On behalf of the Congress party, I have often said that in Karnataka's history, R Ashok is one of the failed opposition leaders. He has no moral ground to question the Gruha Lakshmi scheme," he told ANI.
He asserted that the scheme continues to benefit a large number of women across the state and dismissed allegations of large-scale exclusions.
"The bogus death-benefit cases have been removed, and now over 1.2 crore women in Karnataka are receiving benefits," Ramesh Babu said.
Countering the BJP's criticism, he also claimed that women beneficiaries across states continue to trust Congress schemes despite political attacks.
His remarks came after R Ashok launched a sharp attack on the Karnataka government over the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, alleging that over 1.1 lakh women have been excluded from the beneficiary list despite pre-election promises.
In a post on X, Ashok accused the Congress government of failing to honour its guarantees and questioned the transparency of the implementation process."'Grulakshmi' Before Elections, 'Ineligible Lakshmi' After Elections - This Is the True Face of Congress's Guarantees!" he said.
He alleged that the Congress had promised Rs 2,000 assistance to every household head during the election campaign but was now removing beneficiaries from the scheme."The Congress, which came to power after winning votes by promising Rs 2,000 to every household head, is now shamefacedly attempting to exclude over 1.1 lakh women from the Grulakshmi scheme in 17 districts," Ashok said.
He further claimed that a large number of women have been marked ineligible across districts.
"Identifying 1,12,092 women as ineligible across 17 districts has exposed the true face of Congress," he said.
Ashok also questioned the Chief Minister's response on the issue, alleging a lack of awareness."The biggest tragedy is the Chief Minister's response when questioned about this: 'I don't know.' If the Chief Minister doesn't know about the life issues of 1.1 lakh women in the state, then who is running the state?" he said.
He reiterated that the scheme was announced as unconditional during the campaign, but is now being altered after coming to power.
"Before elections: Promise of ₹2,000 to every household head. After elections: List of ineligibles. Now: New harassment in the name of biometrics," he said.
"The Congress government, which won votes with 'guarantees' and now strips rights with 'ineligible," must answer to the mothers of the state. Immediately stop this injustice and release the scheme funds to eligible beneficiaries without any confusion. Otherwise, it's guaranteed that this government will burn to ashes in the mothers' anger," Ashok added.