Delhi Chief Minister launched Direct Cash Transfer scheme

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today launched a Scheme of Aadhar Enabled Direct Cash Transfer in respect of Centrally Sponsored Schemes being implemented in the Capital City. This coincides with the launch of Aadhar Enabled Direct Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme from today by the Union Government in 20 districts of the country in respect of 34 Centrally Sponsored Schemes in various States. Smt.Dikshit stated that out of 34 schemes only 9 are relevant in Delhi. The City Government initially has brought four Centrally Sponsored Schemes under direct cash transfer mode after carefully creating necessary IT infrastructure. The application of IT in making governance more smooth, effective, result oriented, accurate and transparent has been widely accepted across the world. This also ensures delivery of benefits direct in the bank accounts opened on the basis of Aadhar numbers, of the beneficiaries.

Dikshit stated that the Union Government has kept its promise to implement Aadhar Enabled Direct Cash Transfer in the districts across the country to ensure delivery of assistance direct into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. It is aimed to ensure delivery of full benefit to the beneficiaries from vulnerable sections of the society. Delhi has already implemented this scheme in respect of its ambitious Annshri Yojna launched by the UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi on 15th December, 2012. Hence Delhi became the first State to introduce direct cash transfer. While elaborating the direct cash transfer scheme Smt. Dikshit stated that it eliminate chances of any delay and irregularities in delivery of the benefits to the needy. It also overcomes duplication of beneficiaries and leakage.

The City Government has already been disbursing the benefits under its various social sector schemes through ECS mode. This include disbursement of old age pension to 4 lakh beneficiaries, pension for widows to around 1.30,000 beneficiaries and pension for handicapped to around 40,000 persons. Further, the Government has been providing one time assistance of Rs.30,000 to widows for marriage of their daughter. She further stated that Annshri Yojna is aimed at providing a helping hand to those vulnerable sections of the society which are not covered under the PDS. An amount of Rs.600 per month is being directly transferred to their account of female head of the identified families. The benefit is being provided from the retrospective data 1st April, 2012. The Government which has been providing priority to it social sector schemes has also commissioned 17 Aapki Rasoi Centres and 40 Jan Aahar Centres in order to make Delhi a hunger free state. Our Annshri Scheme is also an important measure in this direction.