Central link for 3.5cr beneficiaries of various schemes

 Direct benefit transfer portal, being being developed by the NIC will not just save state’s cash but also give Centre access to details

Screen grab from DBT portal: image courtesy: www.dbtbharat.gov.in

TT Special Correspondent   |   Kolkata   |   30.12.22 : The Bengal government is all set to launch a direct benefit transfer (DBT) portal with details of over 3.5 crore beneficiaries and link it with the Centre’s Bharat DBT portal to meet the twin aims of reducing outgo from the state exchequer and minimising the possibility of allegations of irregularities in beneficiary lists. 

The portal — being developed by the NIC (National Informatics Centre) — will help the state in two ways. 

First, it will delete those beneficiaries who receive benefits from more than one state scheme, helping the state reduce its outgo on welfare schemes. 

Second, it will help the Centre verify details of any beneficiary if he or she applies for any central scheme almost immediately.

Sources said that once the DBT portal — to include bank details and Aadhaar number of each beneficiary — is launched, it will help the state ensure that a beneficiary gets benefit from one scheme.

“The state spends more than Rs 26,000 crore annually to run 72 DBT schemes. Right now, there is no central verification system in place, so we are not sure if any beneficiary is enjoying benefits from more than one scheme. This (portal) will help us delete all beneficiaries who enjoy benefits from multiple schemes,” said a senior bureaucrat.

Enjoying benefits from more than one DBT scheme is possible in the existing system as lists of beneficiaries are made by departments which run similar schemes.

For example, departments like panchayat, agriculture, fisheries and women and child welfare run old age pension schemes. Funds are transferred to beneficiaries based on lists made by departments. Hence, a beneficiary can enjoy benefits from multiple departments at a time.

The issue had come up during the Eastern Zonal Council Meeting at Nabanna on November 17. 

The state government said during the meeting that a portal for this purpose is being developed by NIC. The Centre wanted all states to develop DBT portals and integrate them with the central Bharat DBT portal.

In Bengal, 46 centrally sponsored schemes are run where DBT is possible. But the Centre often alleges that more beneficiaries can’t be added on time as the state is reluctant to share beneficiary details.

Right now, if a farmer wants to apply for PM-Kisan, his application is sent to the state for verification. The state sends back the application after verifying the farmer’s details. The process takes three or four months.

“If the farmer is registered with the state’s Krishak Bandhu scheme and the state DBT portal is linked with the central one, the farmer can get (PM-Kisan) benefits immediately as his eligibility details will be on the state DBT portal,” the official added.

A minister said that earlier the state had reservations about sharing beneficiary details with the Centre. “But now, the state government has agreed to share details...  so that the Centre can’t deprive people of the state,” the minister said.