Around 52,000 women denied Gruha Lakshmi benefits in Karnataka due to tax records; issue being addressed, says Minister

Around 52,000 women successful Karnataka person not received benefits nether the Gruha Lakshmi strategy arsenic they are reflected arsenic GST oregon income taxation payers successful authoritative records, Minister for Women and Child Development Laxmi Hebbalkar informed the Legislative Council connected February 2.

Replying to concerns regarding non-payment of Gruha Lakshmi benefits to galore beneficiaries raised by BJP subordinate P.H. Pujar, the Minister said that the contented had arisen due to the fact that beneficiary details matched records of the GST and Income Tax Departments, starring to withholding of payments nether the scheme.

Of the affected beneficiaries, issues faced by astir 20,000 women person been resolved portion efforts are nether mode to code the remaining cases, she said.

Department not astatine fault

Ms. Hebbalkar clarified that the authorities of Karnataka and the Women and Child Development Department were not astatine fault. “The aforesaid accusation is reflected successful the GST and income taxation databases. We are moving to resoluteness the occupation based connected those records,” she said.

Pointing retired that the Gruha Lakshmi strategy presently covers astir 1.26 crore beneficiaries crossed Karnataka, the Minister explained that immoderate women were engaged successful small-scale concern oregon fiscal transactions, which had resulted successful their names appearing nether GST oregon income taxation categories, adjacent if their incomes were modest. Tax-payees are not eligible for the payment arsenic per the presumption of the scheme.

Software limits scope for manual intervention

The Gruha Lakshmi strategy operates done a dedicated bundle platform. If a beneficiary is flagged arsenic a GST oregon income taxation payer successful the system, carrying retired corrections manually instantly is not possible, she said.

Describing the strategy arsenic a continuous process, Ms. Hebbalkar said the contented had already been brought to the announcement of the Income Tax Department and the GST Council. The authorities of Karnataka is taking steps to guarantee that eligible women are not excluded owed to method oregon data-related issues.

She added that the remaining cases would beryllium examined and resolved astatine the earliest to guarantee that benefits scope each eligible beneficiaries.