A file photo of Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George during the launch of the Gruha Jyothi scheme, one of the Congress government’s five guarantee schemes.
Of the 95.8 lakh domestic consumers spread across its eight-district jurisdiction, including Bengaluru, 68.9 lakh consumers had enrolled for the scheme. Bescom officials said the verification drive, which began in Aug and was extended by the state govt by a month, has now covered 98–99% of the enrolled beneficiaries. To give them one final opportunity for verification, we have sought permission from the state govt to provide these consumers with a 15-day window,” a Bescom official said. 5.5 lakh consumers currently availing free power under the Gruha Jyothi scheme have refused to share their personal details during the verification drive, according to Bescom data. Another 18 lakh households could not be verified as their properties were found locked or vacant, or the owners could not be reached.
Among all the electricity supply companies (escoms), Bescom has the largest Gruha Jyothi beneficiary base. However, a small but difficult-to-reach group remains outside the verification net. During these two months, we have identified two categories of consumers—those who have refused to share any personal details and those whose properties are vacant, locked or whose occupants are currently abroad.