Budget for huge increase in DBT

Benefits of Rs.33,000 crore will flow every year to the accounts of beneficiaries

The Union Budget 2015-16 proposes a 10-fold scaling up of direct benefit transfers (DBT) during the next financial year as a key expenditure control measure.

The move is expected to lead to accurate targeting of beneficiaries, de-duplication, reduction of fraud and elimination of waste and leakage in public programmes and schemes.

The total number of beneficiaries under 35 DBT schemes will grow from one crore to 10 crore.

Cash transfers and benefits of about Rs. 33,000 crore will flow every year to their bank accounts on the DBT platform across the country, the budget says.

Consultations to be held

Centrally sponsored schemes and 33 Central sector schemes are being examined and the Ministries concerned will be consulted before they can be integrated with the DBT during 2015-16, according to documents presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament on Saturday.

A comprehensive plan from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is awaited for dovetailing 73 schemes across sectors, implemented through 22 Ministries, with the DBT.

The platform could also be adopted for making payment to bank accounts of the 39 lakh para-workers, including ASHAs and para-teachers, who now get monthly stipends in cash.

In December 2014, the Modi government decided to extend the DBT to the entire country.

This included rolling out the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 300 districts on the DBT with higher Aadhaar enrolment.

Every year, Rs. 15,000 crore will be disbursed to 4.3 crore MGNREGA beneficiaries.

Scholarship schemes

Seven new scholarship schemes of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, are being brought on to the DBT platform.

The UPA government had launched the DBT in January 2013. It is operational for 27 schemes across 121 districts.