Karwar: The Uttara Kannada district will host a district-level ‘Guarantee Utsava’ on January 16 to celebrate the success of the State Government’s ambitious Five Guarantee Schemes, which have brought significant economic improvement to families across Karnataka and strengthened the State’s overall economic growth. This was stated by S.R. Patil (Byadgi), Vice-Chairman of the State Guarantee Schemes Authority.
He was presiding over a review meeting of the progress of the Guarantee Schemes and discussions regarding the upcoming district-level Guarantee Utsava and workshop, held on Tuesday at the District Panchayat Hall in Karwar.
Patil said the Five Guarantee Schemes, implemented with the objectives of women’s empowerment and economic self-reliance, have benefited every household in the State and contributed substantially to Karnataka’s economic development. The Shakti Scheme, he noted, has supported the growth of tourism, while the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme has strengthened family stability and harmony. The district-level celebration is being organised to mark the success of these schemes along with their beneficiaries, and officials have been instructed to make all necessary preparations.
Highlighting the impact of the Shakti Scheme, he said that since its implementation, women and students have been travelling in large numbers on government buses. He directed transport authorities to take strict action, including immediate suspension, against any staff found misbehaving with women or students. He also instructed that bus stations should be equipped with breastfeeding rooms, proper sanitation facilities, buses must stop at designated locations, and operations should be managed in a manner that does not inconvenience school children.
Patil stated that the Shakti Scheme has achieved a global milestone by enabling over 560 crore women passengers, earning a place in the World Book of Records. Under the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme, lakhs of families are leading more secure lives, using the assistance to meet household needs, while many beneficiaries have also become self-employed, contributing to increased per capita income in the State. He added that 1,136 women from Uttara Kannada district have voluntarily submitted declarations opting out of the Gruha Lakshmi benefit, setting a notable example for the rest of the State.
He further emphasised that strict measures must be taken to prevent the illegal sale of rice distributed under the Anna Bhagya Scheme in the district.
Providing district-level statistics, Patil said that under the Shakti Scheme in Uttara Kannada, 13.72 crore women passengers have travelled at a cost of ₹404.49 crore. Under the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme, 3,37,155 beneficiaries have been registered and ₹1,493.50 crore disbursed. The Gruha Jyothi Scheme has covered 3,95,190 connections with an expenditure of ₹510.98 crore, while under the Yuva Nidhi Scheme, 7,953 youth have been registered and ₹17.80 crore disbursed.
District Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dilish Shashi said the Guarantee Schemes have been in force for over two years and described their implementation in Uttara Kannada as highly successful. He recalled his earlier involvement in designing the schemes during the e-Tantra phase and expressed satisfaction at overseeing their execution at the district level.
The meeting was attended by District Guarantee Scheme Implementation Authority Chairman Satish Pandurang Naik, Vice-Chairmen Nagaraj Murdeshwar and Janardhan Kuppa Devadig, members Rajendra Rane, Pandurang K. Gowda, Riyaz Ahmed Babusab, Suma Raju Ugranakar, Anil Govind Dandgal, Rajashekhar Rudragouda Hiremath, Devidas Nagesh Shanbhag, Annappa Mahabaleshwar Naik, Raju Manjappa Naik, Ashok Krishna Gowda, Rajesh Chandrakant Naik, Satish Talekar, Shashank Kadwadkar, Sneha Haladankar, along with district officials and officers from all concerned departments.