Gruha Jyothi Scheme Karnataka: Free Electricity, Register

📖What Is the Gruha Jyothi Scheme

This means a household that used 80 units on average in FY22-23 will not get 200 free units. It will get 80 units plus a 10 percent increase, giving an entitlement of 88 free units per month.

The entitlement unit formula is: Average monthly units consumed in FY 2022-23, plus 10 percent of that average. For example, a household averaging 100 units per month in FY22-23 receives an entitlement of 110 units free per month.

For households that averaged less than 50 units per month in FY22-23, the formula gives a flat 10 additional units instead of the 10 percent calculation. So a household averaging 40 units gets 40 plus 10 flat units, equalling 50 units free per month.

For new electricity connections or households with no usage data for FY22-23, the government provides a default entitlement of 55 units per month, calculated as 50 units plus 10 percent of 50.

The only situation requiring a new registration is when the Consumer ID changes, such as when a family moves to a different property. In this case, the old registration must be delinked and a new registration submitted for the new Consumer ID.

📋More Details and Coverage

APL and BPL households are both eligible for Gruha Jyothi Scheme with no income-based restrictions. The only eligibility requirement is a domestic electricity connection with an average monthly consumption of 200 units or less in FY22-23.

Households with an average FY22-23 consumption exceeding 200 units per month are not eligible for Gruha Jyothi Scheme. When such a household applies, the Seva Sindhu portal will display an ineligibility message and the application cannot be submitted.

Slum dwellers and households in unauthorised layouts with regularised electricity connections are eligible for Gruha Jyothi Scheme. As long as the meter is a valid domestic connection under any ESCOM, the household can apply through the Seva Sindhu portal.

💡It Is Not a Flat 200 Units

The electricity bill becomes zero when the actual units consumed in a month are equal to or less than the entitlement units. If consumption exceeds the entitlement but stays below 200 units total, the household pays only for the units above the entitlement at normal rates.

If the household's consumption in a month exceeds 200 units, the entire bill is charged at full rates for that month. There is no partial free unit benefit when total consumption crosses the 200-unit threshold in any given month.

As of 2026, the Energy Department continues to use FY22-23 consumption data as the basis for entitlement calculation. Even though FY24-25 has passed, the department has confirmed that FY22-23 remains the reference year for now.

The scheme applies only to domestic or residential electricity meter connections. Commercial, industrial, or mixed-use connections are not eligible for the scheme benefit.

Households that exceed 200 units of electricity consumption in any month lose the Gruha Jyothi benefit for that particular month. The ESCOM will charge the full bill for that month at the applicable slab rate for the total units consumed.

📋Gruha Jyothi Scheme: Key Details

🧮How Your Entitlement Is Calculated

There is no last date for applying for Gruha Jyothi Scheme. New households can register at any time through the Seva Sindhu Guarantee Schemes Portal at sevasindhugs.karnataka.gov.in.

Households that register in a given month will begin receiving the Gruha Jyothi benefit from the following month, once the application is approved by the ESCOM.

Gruha Jyothi Scheme is a separate scheme from Gruha Lakshmi Scheme, which gives Rs 2,000 per month directly to women who are heads of households in Karnataka. Gruha Jyothi is about electricity bills; Gruha Lakshmi is about direct cash support to women.

Both are Karnataka guarantee schemes but they have different eligibility conditions, portals, and purposes. You can register for both independently if you meet the respective criteria for each.

The Gruha Jyothi benefit automatically resumes from the next month when consumption returns to within the 200-unit threshold. There is no penalty or cancellation of registration if the 200-unit limit is exceeded in a single month.

✅Who Is Eligible

Tenants living in rented houses are eligible to register for Gruha Jyothi Scheme even if the electricity meter is in the property owner's name. When applying, tenants should select the occupancy type as 'Tenant' and use their own Aadhaar card for authentication.

Residents whose electricity meter is registered in the name of a deceased family member or a different family member such as a parent or grandparent can also apply by selecting the occupancy type as 'Family Member'. The applicant uses their own Aadhaar for authentication in this case.

The scheme covers all domestic consumers across all ESCOMs in Karnataka, including BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company), MESCOM (Mangalore), HESCOM (Hubli), CESCOM (Chamrajanagar), and GESCOM (Gulbarga). Consumers in all these distribution areas are equally eligible.

Once the application is approved by the ESCOM, the Gruha Jyothi details start appearing on the beneficiary's electricity bill from the following month. There is no email or SMS notification of approval; the first sign that the scheme is active is the Gruha Jyothi section on the monthly bill.

For newly installed domestic electricity connections where no usage history exists for FY22-23, the Karnataka Energy Department has fixed a default entitlement of 55 units per month. This is based on an assumed average of 50 units with the standard 10 percent increase applied.

📝How to Register on Seva Sindhu

The approval process takes up to 30 days from the date of submission. During this period, the status progresses from 'Application received' to 'Application sent for ESCOM' to 'Approved'.

Consumers can track this progression on the Seva Sindhu portal using their Consumer ID and ESCOM name. There is no email or SMS notification when the application is approved.

The Gruha Jyothi Delink facility is a feature that allows a registered household to cancel the current registration and re-register under a new Consumer ID. This is necessary when a family moves to a new house and the old registration remains linked to the old connection.

The delink process is instant once completed through the Seva Sindhu portal. After delinking, the household should re-register using the new Consumer ID at the new address to continue receiving the scheme benefit.

Low-income families, daily-wage households, and single-room renters typically consume between 30 and 80 units of electricity per month. These households see the maximum benefit from Gruha Jyothi, often receiving a zero electricity bill every month.

🔄The Delink Process

Households that get a 'duplicate Account ID' or 'duplicate Aadhaar' error while applying need to use the delink process to remove the existing link before re-applying. This error means the connection is already registered under a different Aadhaar.

The Karnataka government has been maintaining the scheme as part of its guarantee commitments and has confirmed that the Gruha Jyothi benefit will continue. Households that have not yet applied should do so as there is no deadline and no penalty for delayed registration.

BESCOM covers Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Tumkur, Kolar, Ramanagara, and Chikkaballapura districts, making it the largest of Karnataka's five electricity supply companies. BESCOM consumers form the majority of Gruha Jyothi registrations in the state.

MESCOM serves Mangaluru, Udupi, Shivamogga, and surrounding coastal districts of Karnataka. HESCOM covers the northern districts including Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Belagavi.

Gruha Jyothi is one of the five guarantee schemes announced by the Karnataka Congress government, often mentioned alongside Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, Yuva Nidhi, and Shakti. Each scheme has its own eligibility criteria, target beneficiaries, and separate registration portal.

🔧Common Errors and Fixes

CESCOM is the electricity distributor for the Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Hassan, and Kodagu districts. GESCOM covers the north-eastern districts including Kalburgi, Yadgir, Bidar, Koppal, and Raichur.

Once a Gruha Jyothi application is approved, the electricity bill begins to show a dedicated Gruha Jyothi section listing entitlement units, units consumed, and the amount reduced. The bill will subtract the Gruha Jyothi entitlement from the total, and the payable amount will be zero when consumption is within entitlement.

Applicants can reprint the Gruha Jyothi acknowledgment at any time by visiting sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in. The registered mobile number or acknowledgment number is needed for the reprint process.

Consumers who do not have internet access or a smartphone can register for Gruha Jyothi at their nearest ESCOM office, Karnataka One centre, Grama One centre, or Bangalore One centre. Staff at these centres assist with the full registration process.

The Gruha Jyothi Scheme is designed to encourage moderate consumption rather than subsidise unlimited electricity use. By setting the benefit cap at 200 units and tying entitlement to FY22-23 consumption, the scheme rewards households that already practice energy-efficient habits.

⚖️Gruha Jyothi vs Gruha Lakshmi

When visiting an offline centre for Gruha Jyothi registration, carry the original Aadhaar card and the latest electricity bill showing the Consumer ID or Account ID. The Aadhaar must have an OTP-enabled mobile number linked to it for authentication.

If the OTP does not arrive on the Aadhaar-linked mobile number, the applicant should first check with UIDAI at uidai.gov.in to confirm which mobile number is linked. The Aadhaar-linked mobile number can be updated at the nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre.

Common reasons for OTP failure include a deactivated SIM, a changed mobile number not updated with UIDAI, or network issues. Consumers should resolve the Aadhaar mobile linking issue before attempting the Gruha Jyothi application again.

The 'duplicate Aadhaar' error on the Gruha Jyothi portal means the Aadhaar number is already linked to another Consumer ID in the system. This typically happens when a family previously registered under the same Aadhaar for a different electricity connection.

The Consumer ID and Account ID refer to the same unique identifier that ESCOM assigns to each electricity connection. Both terms are used interchangeably on the Gruha Jyothi portal and on the electricity bill itself.

For a Karnataka household that used 60 units per month in FY22-23, Gruha Jyothi means a zero electricity bill every month for as long as they stay within 66 units. That is a permanent saving of around Rs 400-500 per month for an average low-income household.

🗓️No Renewal and No Deadline

To resolve a duplicate Aadhaar error, the applicant must use the Gruha Jyothi Delink feature on the Seva Sindhu portal to remove the existing link. After delinking, the same Aadhaar can be used to register under the new or correct Consumer ID.

When a household moves to a new property, they should delink the Gruha Jyothi registration from the old Consumer ID. Without delinking, the old connection continues to show as registered under their Aadhaar and the new connection cannot be enrolled.

The delink process on the Seva Sindhu portal does not require visiting any office. After delinking, the applicant can immediately start a fresh Gruha Jyothi application under the new Consumer ID at the new address.

There is no annual renewal required for Gruha Jyothi Scheme. Once registered and approved, the benefit continues automatically on the electricity bill every month without the need to re-apply or submit fresh documents.

Consumers should use the same Consumer ID format that appears on their electricity bill when entering it on the Seva Sindhu portal. If the portal shows 'Consumer ID not found', double-check the digits from the physical bill rather than a photographed copy.

📑Gruha Jyothi: Quick Reference

📌Practical Tips and Process

Each electricity connection can be registered under only one Aadhaar number. If two people in the same household try to register the same Consumer ID with different Aadhaar numbers, the second registration will fail with an error.

The Seva Sindhu portal for Gruha Jyothi is available in English and Kannada. Consumers who are more comfortable in Kannada can switch the portal language from the top of the page before entering any details.

The Gruha Jyothi benefit is reflected as a direct reduction in the monthly electricity bill rather than as a bank transfer or voucher. Consumers receive the benefit passively through their normal monthly bill cycle without needing to claim it separately.

❓Frequently Asked Questions