Karnataka consumers who missed the Gruha Jyothi electricity verification survey can now submit their documents in person at the nearest electricity supply company sub-division office by October 31, after the state government granted a one-time final opportunity to eligible beneficiaries.
The arrangement covers consumers whose homes were locked or vacant when officials conducted the door-to-door verification exercise. The government has extended the survey deadline to October 31 and directed beneficiaries who could not participate in the field exercise to complete document verification at the relevant Escom office before the deadline.
The decision follows a request from the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), which operates across eight districts. Bescom has 74,29,773 beneficiaries under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, including consumers covered by the Bhagya Jyothi, Kuteera Jyothi and Amrutha Jyothi schemes.
According to the information reported by the Times of India, verification has been completed for more than 72,40,000 Bescom beneficiaries, representing nearly 97.5% of the total. However, the survey identified about 16.1 lakh locked houses and 28,519 vacant houses, leaving many consumers unavailable when verification teams visited their premises.
Under the special arrangement, these consumers must visit the nearest Escom sub-division office and submit the required documents personally. The utility has said that October 31 will be the final deadline for document verification under this arrangement and has urged beneficiaries to complete the process to avoid complications concerning their eligibility.
The scale of locked homes recorded during the exercise highlights an administrative challenge in delivering household-linked electricity benefits. Door-to-door verification can establish whether a connection is active and whether the beneficiary is available at the registered address, but it can also miss tenants, migrant households, owners of second homes and residents who are away for work or other reasons. The government’s office-based option is intended to provide an alternative route for such consumers rather than ending verification after an unsuccessful field visit.
The Gruha Jyothi scheme provides eligible domestic consumers with free electricity up to the prescribed limit. Its implementation depends on accurate consumer records, document verification and coordination between the state government and electricity supply companies. Consumers who do not complete the required process by the stated deadline may face complications with their continued eligibility under the scheme.
The final step for beneficiaries who missed the survey is to approach their nearest Escom sub-division office with the required documents by October 31. No further extension has been reported under the special verification arrangement.
