India, the second-most populous country of the world, has been acclaimed as having one of the most inclusive public welfare structures. As per the recent report by the planning commission of India, the public distribution system (PDS) in India is so futile that 58 percent of the subsidized grains do not reach the targeted group and almost a one-third of it is diverted off the supply chain. According to a report published by Finance Ministry, the inefficiency of the PDS causes the government to spend Rs 3.65 for transferring Re. 1 to the poor.1 As a measure to tackle these leakages, inefficiencies, and high transaction costs of social welfare programs government of India in January, 1st 2013 launched a scheme, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme which aims to transfer benefits directly to the bank account of the beneficiary. The slogan to promote this scheme is “Apna Adhikar, Apne Dwar”. With an aim of the MAXIMUM GOVERNANCE MINIMUM GOVERNMENT, this scheme improves public distribution by ensuring that the services, benefits, and subsidies are delivered in an efficient, transparent, and targeted manner. The present study focuses to analyse the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme and its growth in the recent past, especially during the lockdown period of Covid-19.
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Keywords: Direct Benefit Transfer, Covid 19, Supply Chain, PDS, Social Welfare Programs.
