Karnataka government has made Aadhaar-based biometric verification compulsory for all Gruha Lakshmi Scheme beneficiaries starting July 2026. Around 1.28 crore women who currently get Rs 2,000 monthly support under this scheme will need to complete Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar verification to keep getting the money in their bank accounts.
CM D.K. Shivakumar confirmed this step while speaking in Delhi during the NITI Aayog meeting. Government has admitted that about Rs 100 crore linked to the scheme was misused, and this biometric check is meant to stop such misuse. A mobile app is also being built to make registration and verification easier for women across the state.
What is Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar Verification
Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar verification is a new Aadhaar-based biometric check that Karnataka government is rolling out for all women getting the Rs 2,000 monthly cash transfer. Under the new system, every woman must prove her identity through biometric means, which means scanning fingerprints or iris linked to her Aadhaar number. If the verification is not done, the monthly amount will simply not come to her bank account.
This is different from the normal Aadhaar-bank linking that women already have. The biometric check is an extra layer to confirm that the person getting the money is actually alive, eligible, and is the same woman registered under the scheme. Officials from the Department of Women and Child Development said this step is needed because the old system allowed payments to continue even when the actual beneficiary had passed away or become ineligible.
Why is Aadhaar Biometric Verification Being Introduced
Main reason behind bringing in Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar verification is the large misuse that the government found over the past few months. Government has admitted that about Rs 100 crore worth of payments linked to Gruha Lakshmi was misused. Monthly payments of Rs 2,000 were going to bank accounts of around 1.48 lakh dead beneficiaries for up to five months after their death.
Officials also found that mobile numbers linked to some of these accounts belonged to other people, which means someone else was withdrawing the money. In some families, more than one member was taking the benefit even though the scheme allows only one woman per household. Congress MLC Dinesh Gooligowda, who is also Vice Chairman of the State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority, first raised this issue and submitted a report to the CM. After this, Shivakumar ordered a full re-verification of all 1.28 crore beneficiaries and gave directions to bring in the biometric system.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme Name | Gruha Lakshmi Scheme Karnataka |
| Verification Type | Aadhaar-based Biometric Check |
| Start Date | July 2026 |
| Biometric Registration Fee | Rs 5 |
| Monthly Benefit | Rs 2,000 |
| Total Beneficiaries | 1.28 crore women |
| Budget 2026-27 | Rs 28,608 crore |
| Misuse Found | About Rs 100 crore |
| Names Removed So Far | 4.3 lakh |
| Department | Women and Child Development |
How to Complete Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar Verification
Government is building a dedicated mobile app to handle the Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar verification process. Once the app is ready and launched, women will be able to finish their biometric registration through it. The exact steps will depend on the app, but based on the announcement and how similar verification drives work in Karnataka, the process is expected to go like this:
STEP 1 - Download the official Gruha Lakshmi verification mobile app from the Google Play Store once it is released by the Department of Women and Child Development. Be careful to download only the official app, as fake apps have been found on the Play Store earlier pretending to be government scheme apps.
STEP 2 - Open the app and register using your Aadhaar number linked to the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. You will need to enter your Aadhaar number, ration card details, and registered mobile number for OTP verification.
STEP 3 - Finish the biometric check by scanning your fingerprint or iris. This step confirms that you are the actual beneficiary and that you are alive and eligible. A fee of Rs 5 will be charged for this biometric registration.
STEP 4 - After the check is done, you will get a confirmation receipt through the app or by SMS on your registered mobile number. Save this for your records.
If you are not comfortable using a mobile app, you can also visit the nearest Grama One centre, Karnataka One, Bangalore One, or Bapuji Seva Kendra to finish the biometric check in person. Carry your Aadhaar card and ration card when visiting these centres.
Gruha Lakshmi Society Membership and Rs 1,250 Joining Fee
Along with the Aadhaar verification, the Department of Women and Child Development is also planning to enrol Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries into a "Gruha Lakshmi society." This is a separate step from the biometric check. Women who choose to join this society will need to pay a one-time joining fee of Rs 1,250.
Government has not yet shared full details about what benefits the Gruha Lakshmi society will give to its members. As more details come out in the coming weeks, this section will be updated. For now, joining the society looks optional, but the biometric check itself is compulsory for all women who want to keep getting the Rs 2,000 monthly payment.
What Happens if You Do Not Complete Verification
Government has been very clear on this point. If a woman does not finish the Aadhaar biometric check by the last date, her monthly Rs 2,000 payment will not come to her bank account. The payment will stay on hold until the verification is done. So it is very important for all Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries to finish this process as soon as it starts in July 2026.
This does not mean your name will be removed forever from the scheme. Once you finish the biometric check, even after the last date, any held-back payments are expected to be released, same as the existing Life Certificate process that Karnataka already follows for the scheme.
4.3 Lakh Names Already Removed in Earlier Cleanup
Before this biometric check was announced, the government had already done a cleanup round in which 4.3 lakh names were removed from the Gruha Lakshmi list. These included women who had passed away and those found ineligible because of high income. Out of these, 1.08 lakh were income tax payers and 1.04 lakh had husbands paying GST, both of which make a household ineligible under the scheme rules.
Government has also found another 1,12,092 women across 17 districts who may be ineligible and are under review. Revenue inspectors and Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) have been asked to track and report deaths in their areas so that wrong withdrawals can be stopped at once.
BJP Opposition and Government Reply
This verification drive has turned into a political issue in Karnataka. BJP has accused the Congress government of removing over 4 lakh women from the scheme and putting fresh conditions on women just to cut numbers. Opposition leader R. Ashoka claimed that the scheme has changed from "Gruha Lakshmi" before the election to "ineligible Lakshmi" after it.
Rejecting these claims, Dinesh Gooligowda said the government has no plan to stop the scheme and the verification is only to find dead and ineligible entries so that public money is not wasted. He called the opposition's claims misinformation and said genuine women have nothing to worry about. CM Shivakumar has also repeated that there is no plan to cut the number of beneficiaries.
What if a Beneficiary Has Passed Away
Officials have made it clear that only the woman head of the family is supposed to get the Rs 2,000 monthly amount. But if she has passed away, the benefit does not stop for the family on its own. Another female member of the same household can keep getting the money, as long as she submits the death certificate of the original beneficiary to the department and updates her own details as the new head.
This is an important point because many families were simply continuing to take the money without telling the government about the death. Under the new system, the biometric check will automatically catch such cases, because a dead person cannot give fingerprint or iris verification.
Beware of Fake Apps
Earlier, police had found many fake mobile apps on the Google Play Store that pretended to offer registration for Karnataka guarantee schemes including Gruha Lakshmi and Gruha Jyothi. These apps were made to steal personal data like Aadhaar numbers and bank details. Bengaluru cyber crime police had warned that the state government had not released any official app for scheme registration at that time.
Now that an official app is being built for biometric verification, it is very important to download only the app released by the Department of Women and Child Development or linked from the official Seva Sindhu portal. Do not download apps from unknown sources or click on links shared on WhatsApp or SMS claiming to be for Gruha Lakshmi verification.
Documents Needed for Gruha Lakshmi Aadhaar Verification
To finish the biometric check smoothly, keep these documents ready before you start. Each one plays a role in matching your identity with the scheme records:
- Aadhaar Card linked to your Gruha Lakshmi registration, with the mobile number active so you can get the OTP during verification.
- Ration Card showing your name as the head of the family. If you recently updated the ration card, make sure the digital records are also updated.
- Bank passbook or statement showing the account linked to your Aadhaar through the NPCI mapper, where the DBT payments come.
If your Aadhaar details like name, address, or mobile number are old, update them at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in before the verification begins to avoid any rejection during the biometric process.
Gruha Lakshmi Scheme Budget and Current Status
For the financial year 2026-27, Karnataka government has set aside Rs 28,608 crore just for Gruha Lakshmi. This scheme is one of the five guarantee schemes of the Karnataka government, and the total budget for all five schemes is Rs 51,286 crore. Around 1.28 crore women across the state are currently getting the Rs 2,000 monthly support, and the 30th installment was released on May 7, 2026.
Since its launch on August 30, 2023, the state government has paid out over Rs 50,005 crore to women. The scheme covers women from BPL, APL, and Antyodaya families, including 23 lakh women from SC and 8 lakh from ST communities. CM Shivakumar has clearly said there is no plan to roll back or reduce benefits under any guarantee scheme, and the verification drive is only to remove fake and ineligible entries.
For any help or questions about the Aadhaar verification process, contact the Seva Sindhu helpline at 080-2227-9954 / +91-87926-62814 / +91-87926-62816, or visit the nearest Grama One or Karnataka One centre.