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<p><span><strong>THE DRUDGERY</strong></span></p><p>Availing government welfare scheme benefits was an ordeal, with rent-seeking at multiple stages—application, approval and distribution. Beneficiaries received shares as low as 30 per cent of the due amount while the rest was siphoned off as cuts by government officials. The welfare ecosystem was also marred by issues such as fund diversions, duplicate payments, complex sanctions, fraudulent claimants accessing benefits and the exclusion of deserving individuals. Not to mention the endless trips to government offices, collating numerous documents, securing multiple sanctions and greasing the palms of many individuals encountered along the way.</p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="89097de8-73b2-4124-9d3a-6637aab75fe6" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-feb.jpg%3FVersionId%3Dg3fqM5PPcfHa4.j6jCcAspDUSwh.F6_g%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" alt="" height="1005" width="770" class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" layout="responsive"></amp-img>


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  </article>
</div><hr></p><p><span><strong>THE EASE OF LIVING</strong></span></p><p>Launched 12 years ago, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has revolutionised the disbursement of welfare benefits, plugging the gaps that plagued the delivery mechanism in government schemes. DBT has become critical for central and state governm&shy;ent transfers in cash that now account for some 4 per cent of the GDP.</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p>Earlier, inefficiencies and pilferages in delivery led to massive leakages of up to 50 per cent of the total subsidy outlay. To address this challenge, the government created a robust digital ecosystem to enable direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries. The JAM trinity—Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile—has been the enabler in this transformation. Aadhaar, introduced in 2010, provided a 12-digit unique identification number based on biometric verification. It created a database linking the demographic details of individuals to a singular, verified identity which was subsequently connected to bank accounts. In August 2014, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was introduced to bring the vast unbanked population into the formal financial system. Individuals could now open zero-balance savings accounts using Aadhaar as ID proof and access services digitally.</p><p>From Rs 6,000 crore disbursed across 56 schemes in FY15, the amount rose to Rs 2.14 lakh crore disbursed through 1,016 schemes—including state ones—to over 1,040 million beneficiaries by November 2023. This has reduced fraud and improved efficiency in welfare delivery, ensuring timely benefits reach the right people. For example, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Yojana today supports over 11 million farmers, disbursing Rs 2,000 instalments thrice a year. Since its launch in 2019, over Rs 3.46 lakh crore has been disbursed through DBT. &ldquo;This speed and scale, and precision targeting, would have been unimaginable in the pre-DBT era,&rdquo; says Prakash Jayaram, partner, Technology Consulting, EY. In addition to improving eff&shy;iciency, DBT had saved the government Rs 5 lakh crore by plugging leakages as of FY22.</p><p>&ldquo;For the next level, the government must evolve DBT schemes from a reactive to proactive governance paradigm,&rdquo; Jayaram adds. He notes that most schemes still require beneficiaries to apply and provide additional information in addition to Aadhaar. However, in cases like disaster relief, the government today has databases to identify affected areas and households, which should help direct digital transfers without the need for applications. </p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="7925bf31-d707-4434-80ac-7861897edc46" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-.jpg%3FVersionId%3DOM_3mH0u0EOMJSfBbP8LwWejS43qu3dC%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" alt="" height="1067" width="770" class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" layout="responsive"></amp-img>


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</div><hr></p><p><span><strong>HOW IT TRANSFORMED MY LIFE</strong></span></p><p><em><strong>&ldquo;Middlemen can&rsquo;t take our money now," </strong>says Sangeeta Rawat, 33, homemaker, Kolua village, Bhopal, MP</em></p><figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-entity">
<div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="cfd5a452-6d11-4f33-995c-e31f86228f96" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-feb3_1.jpg%3FVersionId%3D.8uUCKt3forBXkNnvGlALK1ZuN2Mb1AQ%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" alt="" height="900" width="770" class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" layout="responsive"></amp-img>


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<figcaption>Sangeeta Rawat, 33, homemaker, Kolua village, Bhopal, MP | Photograph by Mujeeb Faruqui</figcaption>
</figure></p><p>Sangeeta Rawat, mother of a 10-year-old, is a beneficiary of the Ladli Behna Yojana launched by the MP government in 2023 and gets Rs 1,250 per month under it. Sangeeta did not have a bank account before but opened a Jan Dhan account to enrol for the scheme. She had no prior experience of DBT but had heard all sorts of horror stories about the pre-DBT days. &ldquo;I had grown up listening to these stories and also seeing it first-hand in our village. But with DBT, I go to the business correspondent (BC)linked to the bank and get my biometric done. I just have to carry my Aadhaar card and after it&rsquo;s validated, the BC pays me the money in cash,&rdquo; says Sangeeta. BCs can also accept deposits up to Rs 25,000 and do withdrawals up to Rs 10,000 at a time. &ldquo;There is no scope for middlemen taking our money. The government pays it into the acc&shy;ount and we take it out at the BC point,&rdquo; she adds. </p><div id="lrcmtcont"></div><div class="end_story">- Ends</div><div class="dottedimg"></div><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Shyam Balasubramanian</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jan 24, 2025</div></div></div><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div id="tab-video-wrapper-plugin"><div class="end_story_embed_label">Must Watch</div><amp-iframe height="365" title="" width="648" layout="responsive" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.indiatoday.in%2Fshare%2Fvideo%2Fbusiness%2Fvideo%2FMjU3MDYxMA%3D%3D%3Fnative%3Dend" class="mrBt15"> </amp-iframe></div></div>

cover-story

Cover Story

75 Years of the Republic

<p><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>THE DRUDGERY</strong></span></p><p>Availing government welfare scheme benefits was an ordeal, with rent-seeking at multiple stages—application, approval and distribution. Beneficiaries received shares as low as 30 per cent of the due amount while the rest was siphoned off as cuts by government officials. The welfare ecosystem was also marred by issues such as fund diversions, duplicate payments, complex sanctions, fraudulent claimants accessing benefits and the exclusion of deserving individuals. Not to mention the endless trips to government offices, collating numerous documents, securing multiple sanctions and greasing the palms of many individuals encountered along the way.</p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="89097de8-73b2-4124-9d3a-6637aab75fe6" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <div class="itgimage"><img  height="1005"  title=""  width="770"  class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-feb.jpg%3FVersionId%3Dg3fqM5PPcfHa4.j6jCcAspDUSwh.F6_g%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>


</div>
      
  </article>
</div><hr></p><p><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>THE EASE OF LIVING</strong></span></p><p>Launched 12 years ago, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has revolutionised the disbursement of welfare benefits, plugging the gaps that plagued the delivery mechanism in government schemes. DBT has become critical for central and state governm&shy;ent transfers in cash that now account for some 4 per cent of the GDP.</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p>Earlier, inefficiencies and pilferages in delivery led to massive leakages of up to 50 per cent of the total subsidy outlay. To address this challenge, the government created a robust digital ecosystem to enable direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries. The JAM trinity—Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile—has been the enabler in this transformation. Aadhaar, introduced in 2010, provided a 12-digit unique identification number based on biometric verification. It created a database linking the demographic details of individuals to a singular, verified identity which was subsequently connected to bank accounts. In August 2014, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was introduced to bring the vast unbanked population into the formal financial system. Individuals could now open zero-balance savings accounts using Aadhaar as ID proof and access services digitally.</p><p>From Rs 6,000 crore disbursed across 56 schemes in FY15, the amount rose to Rs 2.14 lakh crore disbursed through 1,016 schemes—including state ones—to over 1,040 million beneficiaries by November 2023. This has reduced fraud and improved efficiency in welfare delivery, ensuring timely benefits reach the right people. For example, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Yojana today supports over 11 million farmers, disbursing Rs 2,000 instalments thrice a year. Since its launch in 2019, over Rs 3.46 lakh crore has been disbursed through DBT. &ldquo;This speed and scale, and precision targeting, would have been unimaginable in the pre-DBT era,&rdquo; says Prakash Jayaram, partner, Technology Consulting, EY. In addition to improving eff&shy;iciency, DBT had saved the government Rs 5 lakh crore by plugging leakages as of FY22.</p><p>&ldquo;For the next level, the government must evolve DBT schemes from a reactive to proactive governance paradigm,&rdquo; Jayaram adds. He notes that most schemes still require beneficiaries to apply and provide additional information in addition to Aadhaar. However, in cases like disaster relief, the government today has databases to identify affected areas and households, which should help direct digital transfers without the need for applications. </p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="7925bf31-d707-4434-80ac-7861897edc46" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <div class="itgimage"><img  height="1067"  title=""  width="770"  class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-.jpg%3FVersionId%3DOM_3mH0u0EOMJSfBbP8LwWejS43qu3dC%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>


</div>
      
  </article>
</div><hr></p><p><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>HOW IT TRANSFORMED MY LIFE</strong></span></p><p><em><strong>&ldquo;Middlemen can&rsquo;t take our money now," </strong>says Sangeeta Rawat, 33, homemaker, Kolua village, Bhopal, MP</em></p><figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-entity">
<div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="cfd5a452-6d11-4f33-995c-e31f86228f96" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <div class="itgimage"><img  height="900"  title=""  width="770"  class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_crop_simple%2Fpublic%2F2025-01%2F11-republic-day-dbt-feb3_1.jpg%3FVersionId%3D.8uUCKt3forBXkNnvGlALK1ZuN2Mb1AQ%5Cu0026size%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>


</div>
      
  </article>
</div>

<figcaption>Sangeeta Rawat, 33, homemaker, Kolua village, Bhopal, MP | Photograph by Mujeeb Faruqui</figcaption>
</figure></p><p>Sangeeta Rawat, mother of a 10-year-old, is a beneficiary of the Ladli Behna Yojana launched by the MP government in 2023 and gets Rs 1,250 per month under it. Sangeeta did not have a bank account before but opened a Jan Dhan account to enrol for the scheme. She had no prior experience of DBT but had heard all sorts of horror stories about the pre-DBT days. &ldquo;I had grown up listening to these stories and also seeing it first-hand in our village. But with DBT, I go to the business correspondent (BC)linked to the bank and get my biometric done. I just have to carry my Aadhaar card and after it&rsquo;s validated, the BC pays me the money in cash,&rdquo; says Sangeeta. BCs can also accept deposits up to Rs 25,000 and do withdrawals up to Rs 10,000 at a time. &ldquo;There is no scope for middlemen taking our money. The government pays it into the acc&shy;ount and we take it out at the BC point,&rdquo; she adds. </p><div id="lrcmtcont"></div><div class="end_story">- Ends</div><div class="dottedimg"></div><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Shyam Balasubramanian</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jan 24, 2025</div></div></div><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div id="tab-video-wrapper-plugin"><div class="end_story_embed_label">Must Watch</div><iframe  height="365"  title=""  width="648"  layout="responsive" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.indiatoday.in%2Fshare%2Fvideo%2Fbusiness%2Fvideo%2FMjU3MDYxMA%3D%3D%3Fnative%3D1" loading="lazy" class="multy-video-iframe" > </iframe></div></div>

Direct benefit transfer has reduced fraud and improved the efficiency of the welfare delivery mechanism, ensuring the needy get timely benefits

India Today

Welfare benefits | Pinpoint delivery | 75 Years of the Republic - India Today

Welfare benefits | Pinpoint delivery

IND vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav revealed he was briefly “angry” with Ishan Kishan for hogging the strike, after the duo smashed 82 off 37 and 76 off 32 to script India’s stunning 209-run chase in Raipur.

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US, Ukrainian and Russian envoys met in Abu Dhabi, the first joint talks involving Washington, as President Donald Trump pushes momentum toward ending Russia’s war, though territorial disputes remain unresolved.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in poll-bound Kerala on Thursday saw a warm and light-hearted moment when he paused his speech to acknowledge a young child in the crowd holding up his picture, drawing loud applause. Modi asked the boy to hand over the photograph, write his home address on the back, and promised to write to him personally, directing SPG personnel to handle the picture carefully as a token of the child’s affection. 

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 Amidst inclement weather and heavy snowfall, a team of Udhampur police rescued 12 individuals, including women and children, who were stranded at Chochru Galla in the upper ridges of the Basantgarh area.

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Welfare benefits | Pinpoint delivery

Direct benefit transfer has reduced fraud and improved the efficiency of the welfare delivery mechanism, ensuring the needy get timely benefits

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