Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday launched the registration for the Congress government’s ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, which provides ₹2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family in the state. The scheme was a part of the five main poll guarantees of the Congress party, made before its massive win in the May 10 assembly election in the southern state.Officials said the scheme is expected to benefit 1.28 crore women, each of whom will receive ₹24,000 annually. In this light, the Siddaramaiah-led government had allocated ₹24,166 crore for the scheme in it’s recent budget announcement.
CM Siddaramaiah said the scheme will come into effect from August 16 onwards. He also said it will cost the government ₹35,000 crore every year.

“If there is any security programme in the country that is more than ₹30,000 crore show me. We have to be proud of it (Gruha Lakshmi scheme). This scheme will provide ₹2,000 per month to 1.28 crore women head of the family — this is called universal basic income in some countries,” he said.
Women from both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) households are eligible for the scheme as long as they – or the husbands – do not fall under the tax-paying bracket. The registration for the scheme is free of cost, news agency PTI reported.
Women will be given an appointment to register under the scheme via an SMS, after which they will be required to visit the venue stipulated at the specific time. Those eligible can also walk in to the centres between working hours on any other day between 5pm and 7 pm.

Beneficiaries can also visit their nearest Karnataka One or Bengaluru One centres in urban areas, and Grama One or Bapuji Seva Kendras for rural areas to register.