Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Sep 3: The Karnataka government has extended the deadline for the ongoing door-to-door re-verification of Gruha Jyothi scheme beneficiaries by one month, from August 31 to September 30, amid challenges in completing the survey, particularly in Bengaluru.

The verification exercise, aimed at revalidating beneficiaries of the free electricity scheme launched in July 2023, began in July 2026. Sources in the Energy Department said the extension was necessitated as only around 70% of beneficiaries had been covered by the original deadline.

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Gruha Jyothi, one of the five guarantees announced by the Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections, provides up to 200 units of free electricity per household. The government ordered door-to-door verification following reports of misuse, including commercial establishments and non-residents allegedly availing themselves of the benefits.

The verification progress has varied across Karnataka’s electricity supply companies. Under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) jurisdiction, close to 70% of the verification has been completed. Of the 68 lakh beneficiaries, around 46.7 lakh have been verified.

According to BESCOM, as of May, there were 68,86,860 Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries across the eight districts under its jurisdiction. As of August 31, verification had been completed for 46,70,588 beneficiaries, or roughly 67%.

The Mangalore Electricity Supply Company has verified 14,48,488 applications out of 19,64,669 domestic consumers. The Hubli Electricity Supply Company has completed verification of 27,89,593 of its 38,59,494 consumers.

The Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company has verified 11,87,132 applications out of 25,39,592, while the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation has verified 15,66,592 out of 26,11,444 applications.