Direct Benefit Transfer

Children in non-institutional care rise fourfold between 2021-2024: Govt

The number of children in non-institutional care, including those in foster care, has increased fourfold between 2021-22 and 2023-24, according to government data. In the financial year 2021-22, 29,331 children were covered by non-institutional care. This number increased to 62,675 in 2022-23 and to 1,21,861 in 2023-24, it stated. In a recent letter to states and Union Territories (UTs), the women and child development (WCD) ministry said this rise may be because of the government's initiatives in strengthening family-based care to all children in difficult circumstances. The ministry, however, acknowledged that despite the increase in approvals and fund releases for non-institutional care during 2023-24, the expenditure has been slow in most states until the quarter ending June 2024. It has asked all states and UTs to review and expedite expenditure. District-level officials have been instructed to ensure Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) enabled Aadhaar-based release of funds under t

Govt buys onions at 74% higher prices in Maharashtra ahead of state polls

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

Direct Benefit Transfer worth Rs 34 trn facilitated by PFMS: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said Direct Benefit Transfer of Rs 34 lakh crore has been facilitated by the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and asked accounts officers to further enhance efficiency and transparency of the system. In a written message to the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and the Indian Civil Accounts Organisation (ICAO) on the occasion of the 48th Civil Accounts Day, Sitharaman said PFMS has been the cornerstone of establishing an efficient fund flow system alongside a robust payment and accounting network. PFMS is the management information system used by officers of the Indian Civil Accounts Service to maintain the accounts of the government. It is also used to transfer funds to beneficiary accounts of various government schemes via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). "The Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism, facilitated through PFMS, has led to the transfer of Rs 34 lakh crore from the government. This is a testament to the system's ...

Govt departments should make governance citizen-centric: Prez Murmu

It is imperative for government departments to make the governance system citizen-centric, efficient and transparent, President Droupadi Murmu said on Monday. Addressing a group of officers, she said they have joined government service at a time the country is undergoing a digital transformation. "There is a rising expectation among the public for greater efficiency in service delivery while ushering in transparency and accountability. To address these concerns, it is imperative for government departments to make the best use of technology and make the governance system citizen-centric, efficient and transparent," Murmu said. The president was addressing officer trainees of the 31st batch of the Probationers Training Course at the Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management in Haryana's Faridabad. These officers from the Indian Civil Accounts Service, Indian Defence Accounts Service and the Indian P&T (Finance and Accounts) Service had called on Murmu at the ...

India growing rapidly, to be $30 trn economy by 2047: FM Sitharaman

Relationship between states and centre is of collaborative federalism, she says at Vibrant Gujarat Summit

TMS Ep601: Reliance's GenAI, global trade in 2024, markets, Congress's NYAY

Why does Reliance want to launch its own GenAI? Can this election year change global trade? Can gold deliver double-digit returns in 2024? What is the Congress party's NYAY promise? Answers here

RBI asks banks not to classify zero balance account as inoperative

An account which has not been operated for two years is classified as inoperative accounts. RBI said that customers have to submit KYC documents afresh for reactivating the account

Aadhaar's biometric services in 'hot, humid' climate unreliable: Moody's

In a report, Moody's added that the collection of data by a centralised system increases its vulnerability and gives the least control to the users

The need for loss of income cover: The missing piece of social security net

Within India's ground realities, it is essential to acknowledge the dominant presence of the informal sector, where a considerable demographic derives sustenance from daily wage employment

Over Rs 2 trillion paid to sugarcane farmers via DBT since 2017: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said a total of Rs 2,13,400 crore have been paid to sugarcane farmers in the state through direct benefit transfer (DBT) in the last five years. "Between 2017 and 2023, sugarcane prices worth Rs 2,13,400 crore have been paid to farmers through DBT," the CM said while speaking at the certificate distribution ceremony for the winners of the State Sugarcane Production Competitions. Adityanath said during the previous governments payments to sugarcane farmers used to remain pending for years but now it is being done within a week. "Prior to six years, sugarcane farmers in the state used to face difficulties in obtaining receipts because of discrepancies in the weighing of sugarcane as well as theft of their receipts, which often led to protests by the farmers. "Besides, the untimely closure of sugar mills had caused inconvenience to the farmers. For years, payment of sugarcane price to the farmers was pending but now it is being

Centre saved $27 bn in schemes using DBT method: Economic Affairs secy

India saved over USD 27 billion in key central government schemes through direct benefit transfer as it is swift and eliminates corruption, Ajay Seth, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs said here on Sunday. Delivering his keynote address at the second meeting of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, Seth said Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), created by India is inherently scalable, interoperable, innovation-friendly, and inclusive and has completely transformed government to people, people to people and people to business interactions. And since the transfers are all direct, end to end, and swift, there is little scope for corruption and leakages and removal of duplicate/ fake beneficiaries. In our own experience, DBT has entailed a saving of more than USD 27 billion just across key central government schemes, the official said. In India, DPI enabled DBT emerged as a boon in providing succour and relief to millions of citizens whose livelihood was impacted. T

MGNREGS work demand back to pre-pandemic level, shows Economic Survey

The work demand under the MGNREGS hovered around the pre-pandemic level between July to November 2022, the Economic Survey released on Tuesday said, attributing it to the "normalisation of the rural economy" and "swift recovery from Covid-induced slowdown". According to the Economic Survey, which was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the current financial year, 6.49 crore households demanded employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) till January 24. Of them, 6.48 crore households were offered employment and 5.7 crore of them availed it, it said. "The number of persons demanding work under MGNREGS was seen to be trending around pre-pandemic levels from July to November 2022. This could be attributed to the normalisation of the rural economy due to strong agricultural growth and a swift recovery from Covid induced slowdown, culminating in better employment opportunities," the Survey said. According to the ..

3.14 mn poor families to get Rs 300 through DBT for mustard oil in Haryana

A total of 3.14 mn BPL families in Haryana will receive Rs 300 through DBT for mustard oil beginning next month

Is DBT the solution for agri subsidy transfers? There is no direct answer

In India, farmers receive subsidised supply of inputs as agriculture subsidies and the difference between the actual cost of supplying and the price paid by the farmers is reimbursed to the suppliers

Technology helped to plug leakage in benefit transfer to poor: FM

Technology adoption by the government for the benefit transfer to targeted people has plugged leakages and ensured good governance, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Delivering the NT Rama Rao Memorial Lecture on Friday, she said, "What Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has done is by adopting technology he has contained the leaky bucket process. There are no leaks, the beneficiary who must get that money gets it". Technology has become a big instrument through which human folly and temptation are contained, she said at the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM). "Today, the way we have adopted technology is ensuring that benefits reach the common public, one of the goals of good governance has been achieved," a press release by GITAM quoted Sitharaman as saying. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister had said that the government has so far transferred Rs 25 lakh crore through direct benefit transfer (DBT). "I am not saying this is foolproof. Ingenuity will

Cash-out: Issues with direct benefit transfer's growing ambit

In-kind schemes, introduced in 2017-18, accounted for only 10.8 per cent of total benefits (cash and kind) dispensed under DBT. Today, in-kind transfers account for 60 per cent of total benefits.

BJP, Congress spar over credit for Direct Benefit Scheme after IMF praise

A day after IMF Deputy Director of Fiscal Affairs Department Paolo Mauro praised India's DBT scheme, a political slugfest broke out between the ruling BJP and Congress

Over 9 mn direct benefit transfer payments are processed daily: IT ministry

On an average over 90 lakh direct benefit transfer payments are being processed in India daily to send money directly into the account of eligible beneficiaries of government schemes, an official statement said on Thursday. According to data shared by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, on average 28.4 crore digital transactions are performed in a day. "India is today leading the world in digital payments in particular and also becoming pre-eminent country in use of technology to improve citizens lives. Governance - The India stack and other various digital government solutions are now envy of the world's nations. India leads digital and digital leads India thanks to PM Narendra Modi Ji's vision," minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in the statement. More than Rs 24.8 lakh crore has been transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode since 2013, Rs 6.3 lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22 alone; on an average over 90 lakh DBT payments are .

Govt to move benefits to apprentices' accounts via Skill Development Corp

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship announced that the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) will be a part of Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) scheme.

40% of global real-time digital payments happened in India in 2021: PM Modi

The Prime Minister also talked about the success of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, highlighting the large volumes of money that have been transferred directly to the beneficiaries