The direct cash transfer scheme is not a “jaadu ki chhadi” (magic wand) to reform a “broken down” delivery system and problems are there in its implementation, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.
“It (Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme) is not a single ‘jaadu ki chhadi’ (magic wand). It is an experiment. The world's largest experiment in administrative reforms,” he told reporters.
The rural development minister's remarks came against the criticism over absence of proper infrastructure, due to which the scheme cannot be operationalised successfully and benefits might not reach the intended beneficiaries.
The scheme to provide cash benefits to the needy through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts was launched on January 1 in 20 districts, in six states and three Union territories. The scheme is proposed to cover the entire country by the end of this year.
Ramesh admitted there were hitches in the implementation of the scheme but was confident these would be overcome. "It has problems on the ground. It will have problems with banks, post offices and online connectivity. We have embarked on this. We will resolve these issues as we go along," he said after launching DBTS for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at Gollaprolu in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
"No solution is without ten problems in India. You can always find ten problems for one solution. The key to avoiding corruption at the beneficiary end is to give the beneficiary the choice of business correspondents," the minister replied, when asked if the business correspondents (BCs) could be a source of corruption.
Ramesh said, "If we are successful (in implementing DBTS), we would have completely reformed the welfare delivery system". The minister said that by the end of August 2013, every gram panchayat, mandal and district will be on the micro ATM network. "You need not run to banks or post-offices to get money. Money will come to you at your doorstep," Ramesh said.
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The government had earlier planned to introduce the scheme in 43 districts across 16 states from January 1 but the launch was scaled down due to slow progress of Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. "Today, it is one bank, one business correspondent, one beneficiary. The new model is - one bank, multiple BCs and one beneficiary. The choice of BC is entirely up to the (DBTS) beneficiary," Ramesh said.
Asked if he had obtained an Aadhaar card, the minister remarked, "I am not a welfare delivery system beneficiary. I don't need an Aadhaar card. Aadhaar enrolment should be universal for the beneficiaries (of government schemes). "It need not be universal for entire population," Jairam Ramesh said.
Earlier, Ramesh launched the DBTS in East Godavari, which is one of the four districts in Andhra Pradesh, where the scheme is being launched as part of the nationwide roll-out of DBTS in the first phase.
East Goadavari district has the distinction of achieving 99 per cent enrolment for Aadhar and as many as 43.32 lakh persons were already issued UID cards.