Gruha Jyothi 2.0 verification app glitches raise concerns about validity and accuracy
According to the meter readers, the app accepts any photo on upload instead of uploading a photo of the actual documents. | Photo credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
The Gruha Jyothi 2.0 mobile application released by the Karnataka Power Department for verification of Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries has been found to have many technical glitches. According to surveyors conducting field verification in Bengaluru, the app accepts any photo on upload instead of uploading a photo of actual documents.
They said the lack of basic authentication features in the app raises concerns about the accuracy and trustworthiness of the ongoing recipient verification process.
Wrong upload
A meter reader from Malleswaram said the app failed to verify the uploaded documents. “Even if we upload a photo of a blank sheet of paper instead of a tenant document or lease agreement, the app will accept it. Most mobile apps reject incorrect or invalid uploads, but this app doesn’t. It should be able to identify whether the uploaded document is valid and prompt the user to upload the correct one,” he said.
Another meter from Ganganagar pointed out that the app also lacks proper photo verification of beneficiaries. “After entering all the required information, the app asks the recipient for a passport-sized photo. Yesterday, while verifying a female recipient, I uploaded a photo of her father in her absence, and the app accepted it without objection. I deleted it and uploaded a passport-sized photo of the recipient’s wife.” The application should be able to identify the correct mismatches and ensure that such mismatches are uploaded.
A meter at Munireddy Palya said, “At the end of capturing all the information into the app, it also asks us to enter the exact location and captures the GPS information. This is so that the meter readers don’t cheat by uploading it from home or office. But what’s the point if the meter captures bad photos and the app doesn’t alert them.”
Non-voter details also received
The Chief Minister announced that the system will not be provided to non-voters from Karnataka to check which meters are looking for voter ID cards in the houses they are conducting. However, a North Bengaluru meter said that the app accepts details of non-voters of the state.
“I entered my Aadhaar card and voter ID details and both these documents have his Madhya Pradesh address. The app accepted it instead of rejecting it when I entered the voter ID or EPIC number along with his photo. What is the point of doing the door-to-door exercise when the app can’t reject non-voters or people from other states who are benefited by having voting rights in other states?”
Authentication function
They said the lack of basic authentication features in the app raises concerns about the accuracy and trustworthiness of the ongoing recipient verification process.
Asked how the department plans to address the glitch in the mobile app, an official from BESCOM said, “Meter readers cannot upload incorrect photos. Once the verification is complete and if incorrect photos are uploaded, we will download the relevant reader. This is why it allows GPS to capture the location of the meter when it finishes entering the data into the app.”
Published – 02 Jul 2026 22:15 IST