Government roll out direct cash transfer scheme in 20 districts

New Delhi: The government has roll out its ambitious scheme of transferring cash to beneficiaries of select schemes in 20 districts on Tuesday.
Announcing the roll-out plan, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that more and more districts and schemes would be covered under the scheme during the course of 2013.
On subsidy on LPG, the Minister clarified, “I don’t know when it will be covered. It is not covered in the first phase.” The Minister said that scheme will be rolled out in 43 districts by March 1 – 20 districts from January 1, 11 districts from February 1 and 12 districts from March 1.
By end of 2013, Chidambaram said, the direct cash benefit transfer will be rolled out in all the districts of the country. He said the subsidies would be transferred to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts if they do not have an Aadhaar number.
He said the list of the beneficiaries is already there with the respective departments in the Ministries concerned. There will be glitches in operationalising the scheme and the officials, who are overseeing its implementation, will resolve them, Chidambaram said, adding that this is a ‘game-changer’ scheme with regard to governance and the way the government provides subsidy to people.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the first phase would benefit about two lakh people.
The direct cash transfer scheme, said a press statement, will not be a substitute for delivery of public services whichwould continue to take place as per the normal delivery channels.
The seven schemes which are ready for payout from January 1 include pre and post matric scholarships for SC, STs and OBCs, Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahayata Yojana, Dhanalakshmi scheme and stipend scheme for SC, ST job seekers.