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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | If Jharkhand's Direct Benefit Transfer Experiment Isn't Working, Why Is It Still On? -Jahnavi Sen

If Jharkhand's Direct Benefit Transfer Experiment Isn't Working, Why Is It Still On? -Jahnavi Sen

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published Published on Jun 22, 2018   modified Modified on Jun 22, 2018
-TheWire.in

A government social audit conducted in April has found that 96.9% of people in Nagri block want to go back to the old public distribution system rather than continue with the Aadhaar-link benefit transfers.

New Delhi:
Even though a Jharkhand government social audit has confirmed widespread dissatisfaction with the Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer (DBT) pilot experiment in the public distribution system (PDS) in Nagri block, the project continues as before.

The pilot project was rolled out in October 2017, and by early this year it was clear that it was not working for the people. Under the new system, instead of going to the local ration shop and buying rice at Re 1/kg, people first had to wait for the government to transfer Rs 31/kg they were entitled to into their account, add Re 1/kg to that, and use that money to buy rice.

On February 27, more than a thousand people marched from Nagri block to Ranchi, demanding that PDS delivery return to the old system. The Wire had reported then that the new system was creating a host of problems for the people, to the extent that they would much rather go back to the imperfect older system. To check if the money had come, they would need to make several trips to the bank. Then there were more trips to the Pragya Kendra (a local business correspondent) to withdraw the money since the transactions were too small for banks to carry out. Some people were even receiving the DBT as Airtel Money – which they had no idea how to retrieve. Several were using their own money to buy rice at Rs 32/kg, since warning notices were sent to those who did not pick up their ration, saying their cards would be cancelled. Even the ration dealers were unhappy with the new system – stocks would lie with them for days on end while people waited for their DBT money.

Around the same time, the Right to Food Campaign had conducted a survey in Nagri on the DBT experiment. They found that an overwhelming 97% of respondents wanted to go back to the old system. The food minister, Saryu Rai, and food secretary, Amitabh Kaushal, had then met with representatives from the Campaign and agreed to conduct their own social audit, based on which they would decide whether the experiment was worth continuing.

That audit was conducted in April, but the results were not immediately made public by the state government, despite repeated requests from activists. The report is now available online, on the website of the government’s Social Audit Unit.

Please click here to read more.

TheWire.in, 21 June, 2018, https://thewire.in/rights/jharkhand-direct-benefit-transfer-nagri-pds


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