‘What does caste certificate have to do with free electricity?’: JD(S) targets Karnataka govt over Gruha Jyothi verification
Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Karnataka government over the ongoing verification of beneficiaries under the Gruha Jyothi free electricity scheme, questioning the reported requirement for caste certificates and PAN cards during the exercise.
In a post on social media platform X, the opposition party asked the government to explain why documents such as caste certificates and PAN cards were being sought from beneficiaries of the scheme.
“The Congress government came to power promising free electricity to all without imposing any conditions. It is now trying to remove beneficiaries from the scheme in the name of house-to-house verification,” the JD(S) alleged.
The party further questioned the need for additional documentation, asking: “Why is a PAN card required to avail free electricity? What does a caste certificate have to do with an electricity connection? Aren’t an Aadhaar card or voter ID sufficient to establish that a person is a resident of Karnataka?”
Accusing the government of attempting to reduce the number of beneficiaries by introducing new eligibility conditions, the JD(S) claimed that poor families, farmers and middle-class households were being forced to run from one government office to another to furnish unnecessary documents.
The Karnataka government is yet to issue an official clarification on the verification drive and the documents being sought from beneficiaries under the Gruha Jyothi scheme.
