Over 26,000 children under sponsorship scheme unpaid for a year

A significant number of child beneficiaries under the sponsorship scheme, who are entitled to a monthly allowance, have not been paid for the past year in Karnataka. As many as 26,767 orphaned, vulnerable or single-parent children have been registered under the scheme in the Women and Child Development Department.

Under the scheme, jointly implemented by the State and the Centre (with a 60:40 share), eligible children were to receive ₹4,000 each month for three years or until they turn 18, whichever comes first. The amount would be directly deposited into the children’s bank accounts. However, a twofold challenge has hindered the implementation of the scheme. About 8,439 children have not received payments because they have not been recognised as beneficiaries by the Centre, while the remaining 18,328 beneficiaries are unpaid due to a technical glitch.

Technical glitch

Minister for Women and Child Development and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens, Lakshmi R. Hebbalkar, told the House during the recently concluded session that the new SNA SPARSH DBT system had been implemented to directly credit the allowance to beneficiaries’ bank accounts. However, she said the transition to the new system involved multiple stages and that technical glitches had delayed the release of grants.

She also stated that the Union government has released the first instalment of ₹32 crore (60%) under the sponsorship scheme in January 2026. “The State government too has ordered the release of a total grant of ₹53.34 crore, including 40% share of ₹21.34 crore,” she explained.

Arundhati, in-charge officer of the sponsorship scheme, further explained to The Hindu that the file has been sent to the Union government online. “The Union government should give approval for this and send it to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Then, the RBI will credit the amount to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. The online portal shows that the Union government has also approved the file and sent it to the RBI on April 1. So, the RBI will soon credit the amount to the beneficiaries’ accounts,” said Ms. Arundathi.

Those left out

On 8,439 children being left out, she said that while a total of 26,767 candidates have registered under the scheme in the State, the Union government has approved only 18,328 beneficiaries on a first-come, first-served basis. “We have submitted a proposal to extend the scheme to the remaining,” she said.

Meanwhile, beneficiaries eagerly await the long-pending dues.

“I lost both my father and mother in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic four years back, and am under the protection of relatives. I have registered under the sponsorship scheme, but no monthly allowance has been deposited into my bank account for the past year. I, a college student, am dependent on this money for education and other expenses,” said a female beneficiary from Kolar district who did not wish to be named.

How long?

The mother of a beneficiary from Bengaluru said she was a single parent and had registered her Persons with Disabilities (PwD) child under the scheme. “I am facing difficulties without the monthly allowance. It is also difficult to leave a PwD at home and go to work. When I approach the officials, they say it is due to a technical problem. But does it take a year to fix a technical problem?” she asked.