Chikkamagaluru: Over 50,000 Gruha Jyoti Beneficiaries May Lose Free Power Benefit

Over 50,000 Gruha Jyoti beneficiaries in Chikkamagaluru could lose free electricity after a verification drive found vacant houses, commercial use of domestic connections and other eligibility issues. The verification deadline has been extended to September 30.

Thousands of households in Chikkamagaluru district could face higher electricity bills if they are found ineligible for the Gruha Jyoti free electricity scheme. More than 50,000 beneficiaries could potentially lose the benefit following a state-wide verification drive to check whether consumers continue to meet the scheme's eligibility criteria.

Since July, officials from the Energy Department and MESCOM have been conducting door-to-door verification, collecting documents and checking the eligibility of beneficiaries across the district.

In Chikkamagaluru, MESCOM staff are visiting households to collect the required documents. During the verification drive, officials identified around 20 to 25 different reasons that could lead to disqualification.

The major issues include beneficiaries who registered under the scheme but later moved to another location, vacant houses, and domestic electricity connections being used for commercial purposes. As a result, more than 50,000 beneficiaries could potentially lose their free electricity benefit.

Chikkamagaluru district has a total of 3.14 lakh domestic electricity meters. So far, officials have verified documents submitted by around 2.60 lakh consumers.

This leaves 54,191 consumers whose documents are yet to be verified. Around 88% of the verification process has been completed. The original deadline for the survey was August 31, but it has now been extended to September 30.

Eligible consumers who complete the registration and verification process within the extended deadline will continue to receive the benefit under the scheme.

17,000 Houses Found Locked Or Empty

During the verification drive, officials found that 17,570 houses were locked, while some were completely vacant. As a result, verification could not be completed at these properties.

MESCOM officials will reportedly visit such houses three times. If residents remain unavailable and fail to provide the required documents during these visits, they could lose their Gruha Jyoti benefit.

Domestic Power Used For Schools And Colleges

The state government launched the Gruha Jyoti scheme to provide free electricity to eligible households for consumption of up to 200 units a month.

However, the verification drive reportedly found instances where some private hospitals and schools had registered for the scheme under the domestic electricity category. Officials have recorded such cases during the survey.

Senior MESCOM officials told media that the government will take the final decision on these cases.

Gruha Jyoti Used In Temples, Mosques And Churches

Officials also found that some religious institutions, including temples, mosques and churches, had been registered under the Gruha Jyoti scheme in Chikkamagaluru.

As the scheme is intended only for eligible residential households, these registrations have also come under scrutiny during the verification drive.

Data Entry Problems

Several beneficiaries are also facing technical issues during the verification process, making it difficult for them to complete their registration.

For instance, the app reportedly automatically rejects applications if a consumer's electricity consumption exceeded 200 units even in a single month during the previous three years. Consumers with solar power connections are also facing difficulties during the process.

In addition, people who were beneficiaries of earlier schemes such as Bhagya Jyoti, Amrit Jyoti and Kutira Jyoti are reportedly unable to register through the new app.

These technical issues could potentially result in eligible beneficiaries losing access to the Gruha Jyoti benefit if their verification is not completed within the stipulated period.

"Consumers whose verification is pending can visit the nearest MESCOM office with their documents to complete the registration process. The government has extended the registration deadline from August 31 to September 30," said Manjunath, Superintendent Engineer, Chikkamagaluru MESCOM.