-The Times of India The government has said that it is not handing over monopoly rights to any entity for distribution of cash under the direct benefit transfer scheme. In response to a TOI article on December 30 ("Cash transfer plan a scam in the making"), the finance ministry said it has now standardized technology to enable customers to transact with any bank through any business correspondent. Earlier, a customer was locked...

-The Indian Express On the eve of the launch of its ambitious Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) programme, the government Monday announced that the welfare plan will be rolled out in 20 districts and cover seven schemes, mostly scholarships, to benefit more than 2 lakh people. The programme will expand to another 11 districts on February 1 and 12 more districts will be added on March 1. A total of 43 districts in...

-Outlook Jaipur: Describing the proposed Direct Cash Transfer scheme a 'pure magic' that brings a big responsibility on banks for its implementation, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today asked bankers to work with the government to make the scheme a success. "Through this unique benefit transfer scheme, money when it is released, will instantaneously be credited in the bank account of the beneficiary, leaving no scope for corruption and pilferage. That is why...

-PTI Parliament on Thursday paved the way for corporate houses to enter the banking sector by approving the banking bill, a key reform legislation pending for long. Parliament also passed the amendments to the debt recovery laws or Sarfesi law after a reply by finance minister P Chidambaram on the combined discussion on the two bills in Rajya Sabha. These two Bills -- Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012, and Enforcement of Security Interest...

-The Times of India Crest Cash transfers have been described as the world's favourite new anti-poverty device. As India gets set to implement it, TOI-Crest finds out if the politics will ever be divorced from the cash The UPA government's ambitious plan to introduce direct cash transfers (DCT) by January 1, 2013 reflects both the political desperation of a beleaguered government and the urgent need to reform India's inefficient and corrupt public...