More than one lakh beneficiaries refuse to participate in Gruha Jyothi survey

Sources in the Energy Department said beneficiaries refused to provide the documents required for the Gruha Jyothi survey. | Photo Credit: File Photo As Gruha Jyothi door-to-door survey ended on October 31, around 1,42,978 beneficiaries in the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom) jurisdiction refused to participate in the survey.Sources in the Energy Department said beneficiaries had refused to provide the documents required for the survey. A total of 73,78,352 houses were surveyed in the Bescom jurisdiction, out of 74,29,773 houses. The survey covered consumers under the Bhagya Jyothi, Kuteera Jyothi and Amrutha Jyothi schemes.This accounted for 99.31% of the total. The other electricity supply companies (Escoms) — Hescom, Gescom, Mescom and CESC — surveyed 98% to 99% of their beneficiaries. The deadline was extended twice, in September and October. The survey began on July 1 and was originally scheduled to conclude in August.The survey was launched in July 2026 and was supposed to be completed by August 31. However, the deadline was extended to September 30, and later to October 31.The door-to-door verification of Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries and the documents being asked of them, had led to fear among many people of losing the benefits of free electricity up to 200 units.What’s in the form?The form released by the government of Karnataka for the Gruha Jyothi scheme contained 11 elements. These include the name of the Escom, electricity connection account ID, beneficiary’s Aadhaar number, beneficiary’s name as per the Aadhaar card, registered mobile number, owner/tenant status, ration card category (APL, BPL, or no ration card), voter status and EPIC number, caste category (SC/ST, OBC, Minorities, and Others), PAN number in the case of income-tax payers, and the beneficiary’s profession.Doubts among peopleConsumers were asked to keep their Aadhaar card (for verification only), passport-size photograph, voter ID card, PAN card, tenancy or rental agreement (where applicable), ration card, and caste certificate ready. They were also expected to provide details of their BPL or APL ration card, if they possess one. Field staff recorded the professional details of consumers as well.A caste certificate was sought from beneficiaries belonging to the SC/ST, OBC, and minority categories.Questions were raised as to why caste certificate, ration cards and PAN cards are being sought, when the Gruha Jyothi scheme is a universal scheme with no exclusions but for their electricity consumption.Officials clarified that caste status will not determine eligibility for benefits under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, and was being collected only for verification purposes.Seeking PAN card details from beneficiaries led to suspicion of professionals, who are taxpayers, being eliminated from the list of Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R. Ashok alleged that the government was seeking copies of PAN card and caste certificate to exclude many people from the benefits of Gruha Jyothi scheme, which was marketed as a universal scheme before the 2023 Assembly polls. “Voter ID and Aadhar card is more than enough to identify whether a beneficiary was a voter in the State or not. Why does the government need caste certificate and PAN cards?”Regarding voter ID details, Karnataka’s Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar had said that non-voters of Karnataka will be removed from the list of Gruha Jyothi guarantee scheme beneficiaries. Therefore, entering the voter ID details will help the department identify the voters and non-voters. Published - November 02, 2026 10:04 pm IST