Vinod M Jain
*Confusion over figures in Chief Minister’s Independence Day speech.
There are suspicions of irregularities in the Guarantee schemes,as none of the figures available with the government match.
Therefore,Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar should issue a white paper on the matter and provide accurate information in the House,demanded Opposition Leader R.Ashoka.
Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar spoke about the Shakti scheme in his Independence Day speech.He stated that under the Shakti scheme,3.5 crore women in the state have undertaken 796 crore free journeys,for which Rs.14,875 crore has been spent over three years.
However,according to an official post from the Chief Minister’s X account (June 11,2026),by the time the government completed three years,women had undertaken 753.7 crore free journeys and free tickets worth Rs.19,771 crore had been issued.
Prior to that,in an X post on May 25,2026,it was mentioned that 726 crore free journeys had been made and Rs.18,943 crore had been spent. When these are compared, a difference of around five to six thousand crore rupees emerges.
The government must clarify how the expenditure that had increased has suddenly decreased,he insisted.
Under the Gruhalakshmi scheme,Rs.5,000 crore for two months has still not been released.There is still no response from the government on whether this has been paid.
In his Independence Day speech,the Chief Minister said there are 1.28 crore women beneficiaries and that more than Rs.76,908 crore has been disbursed so far.
However,in a post made by the government on May 26, 2026,after completing three years,it was stated that Rs.74,216 crore had been given to 1.24 crore beneficiaries.
The figures released to the media by Dinesh Gooligowda, Vice-Chairman of the State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority,create further confusion.
According to this committee,under the Gruhalakshmi scheme, Rs.74,650 crore has been given to 1.24 crore women in 31 instalments.
This means that from May till now, the number of beneficiaries has increased by 4 lakh. The Chief Minister must explain why there is such a large discrepancy in the figures,he demanded.
Therefore,the government must provide accurate information to the House on the figures of all Guarantee schemes.
Otherwise,it will create further confusion among the people and confirm that irregularities have taken place in these schemes.To resolve this confusion,a white paper must be presented,he insisted.
