-MoneyControl.com The benefits of the cash transfer scheme to be rolled-out from January 1 in 51 districts will reach the intended beneficiary only by February-March, said Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahlwualia. The benefits of the cash transfer scheme to be rolled-out from January 1 in 51 districts will reach the intended beneficiary only by February-March, said Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahlwualia.   In an interview to Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN...

-The Hindustan Times The government will begin switching over to a system of direct cash transfers for welfare in the New Year and hopes to roll it out all over the country in the ensuing 364 days. This is a radical departure from the existing welfare delivery mechanism so riddled with leaks that a mere fraction of the benefits reach the intended target groups. By co-building these transfers with biometric enumeration...

-The Economic Times The government plans to directly transfer money to the bank accounts of cooking gas customers even if they do not have Aadhaar identification. The rollout will start with a pilot project in Andaman and Nicobar Islands by April, and will be extended to the rest of the country in a year. The oil ministry will also seek Cabinet approval to end the sale of subsidised kerosene and proposes to transfer...

-The Times of India The Congress moved with alacrity on Tuesday to put the stamp of its "hand" on 'direct cash transfers', calling it an election promise fulfilled and lining up Rahul Gandhi to lead the celebrations in the build-up to the launch of what it sees as a "game-changing" scheme. Finance minister P Chidambaram and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh chose the Congress party platform to announce the launch of the...

-The Indian Express Cash transfers seem to be the latest fad. With elections looming, the Prime Minister’s National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers has been tasked with an ambitious mandate to provide vision and direction to enable direct cash transfers of subsidies under various government schemes and programmes to individuals to enhance efficiency. Certain activists warn against an ill-considered and hasty transition from food to cash. Others believe directly transferring the...