New Delhi: The government has managed to save nearly ₹28,700 crore during the first nine months (April-December) of the current fiscal (2019-20) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) regime.
That’s almost enough to meet the expenses on ‘Medical & Public Health’ for which Union Budget 2020-21 has provided ₹29,774 crore, or meet 46 per cent of the budgeted expenditure on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, which has a provision of ₹61,500 crore in the Union Budget.
According to official data, in the first nine months of the current financial year, Public Distribution System (PDS) or distribution of foodgrain at subsidised rates to the poor and the very poor, helped effect maximum savings for DBT.
The amount saved was over ₹19,200 crore. Since inception, total savings under this head has touched nearly ₹67,000 crore. According to the government, large-scale use of information technology and other measures taken by it have helped delete 2.98 crore duplicate and fake/non-existent ration cards (including some due to migration, death, etc.), which played a vital role in effecting the savings.
Saving from domestic kitchen gas (LPG or liquefied petroleum gas), at over ₹6,000 crore, came in second during the period under consideration. With this, total saving since inception has reached over ₹65,600 crore.
The government says, the saving was made possible through elimination of 4.54 crore duplicate, fake/non-existent, inactive LPG connections. In addition, there are 1.66 crore non-subsidised LPG consumers, including 1.03 crore ‘Give It Up’ consumers.
