What happened
The Congress government's flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme — which sends ₹2,000 per month to eligible women across Karnataka — has been faithfully transferring money to 1.08 lakh beneficiaries who died after the scheme launched, according to a CAG audit published in June 2026. Total payments to the deceased: ₹116 crore across 5.79 lakh instalments. The audit also found ₹60.70 crore routed through 19,020 accounts shared between multiple beneficiaries, ₹46.52 crore disbursed to people whose names and bank details do not exist in government records, and another ₹1.80 crore in duplicate payments. Total irregularities flagged: ₹225 crore. Amount recovered: ₹15.24 crore. The BJP opposition has demanded a CBI inquiry, calling this state-sponsored cybercrime. The Congress government acknowledged misuse of the system and ordered a comprehensive revision of beneficiary records. The dead women's accounts remain, for now, unreached for comment.