The Karnataka Energy Department will begin a door-to-door verification drive for beneficiaries of the state's flagship Gruha Jyothi Yojana from Tuesday, July 1, across all five electricity supply companies (ESCOMs). The Gruha Jyothi scheme, launched in July 2023, is one of the Karnataka government's flagship welfare programmes, providing up to 200 units of free electricity every month to eligible residential households.
As part of the exercise, ESCOM meter readers and staff will visit consumers' homes to verify beneficiary details and update records using a mobile application and a declaration form.
The verification, carried out two years after the scheme was launched in July 2023, will cover beneficiaries under BESCOM, MESCOM, HESCOM, GESCOM, and CESC.
The department has asked beneficiaries to keep their Aadhaar card (for verification only), a passport-size photograph, voter ID card, PAN card, ration card, caste certificate, and tenancy or rental agreement (where applicable) ready for inspection.
Stating that verification can only be completed through an on-site visit by the meter reader, the department has urged all beneficiaries to cooperate with officials to ensure the process is completed smoothly and quickly.
A total of 1.74 crore beneficiaries have availed of the Gruha Jyothi scheme so far. The Karnataka government has spent Rs 28,000 crore on the scheme up to the 2025–26 financial year and has allocated Rs 10,578 crore for its implementation in 2026–27, according to the state Budget.
This verification drive comes days after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government wanted to curb misuse of the Gruha Jyothi scheme. He said authorities needed to verify cases where multiple electricity meters were registered in a single person's name to determine whether the beneficiaries were residing at the declared address and whether the subsidy was reaching eligible Karnataka residents. He also alleged that some consumers were availing of the scheme for commercial properties.
