Mangaluru: BJP Dakshina Kannada district president Sathish Kumpala on Saturday questioned the state govt’s expenditure on implementation committees under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.Addressing a press conference, Kumpala said discussions across the state have intensified over alleged corruption in the scheme meant for poor women and the manner in which it has been implemented. He said the scheme, which played an important role in bringing the Congress to power, is now facing allegations of irregularities, and alleged that after DK Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister, his actions portray the failure of former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s governance and lapses during his tenure.Referring to Bengaluru development, he said the city reflects not “Brand Bengaluru” but a “Credit Model Bengaluru,” showing the failure of DK Shivakumar. Showing lack of trust in officials, Congress workers were appointed from the state to taluk levels under chairman SM Revanna, and public tax money was distributed to them as honorariums, he alleged.Alleging misuse, he said while beneficiaries received Rs 2,000, committee members were paid higher amounts, on time every month unlike beneficiaries. He said the govt has begun re-identifying beneficiaries, with reports indicating 1.9 lakh ineligible names, and alleged that in DK alone, Rs 3.3 crore was disbursed to 3,477 deceased persons. He questioned why proper verification was not conducted initially, and said the govt is now planning to remove 3.9 lakh beneficiaries.
