The ‘game changer’ intervention in taking benefits of social assistance schemes to beneficiaries without pilferage does not seem to be reaching them. Considerable amount coming to be credited directly to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts in Jharkhand is not getting deposited there which is resulting in the money bouncing back.
The National Automated Clearing House (NACH) status report for March 2013 reveals the money coming under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the form of student stipend, National Child labour Policy (NClP), old age pension, post matric scholarship for Schedules Cast, Schedules Tribes and Other Backward Class students and others assistances is going unpaid to their actual beneficiaries.
The NACH has presented `5,062,630 for 1,754 students’ stipend on March 1 this year for Hazaribagh district. Ironically, `76,400 meant for 33 counts went un-credited and returned. Similar is the case with assistance coming under NClP when NACH released, under five heads, `10,248
on March 12 and the entire amount got returned in the
district.
The same saga continued for Ramgarh. The district was presented `2,922,095 on March 1 for 1281 counts under old age pension. Out of this `557,260 went un-credited against the 253 counts. Again on March 2, the NACH presented
`536,380 to the district under the pension scheme out of which `101,940 got returned. Four districts of Jharkhand namely — Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Ramgarh and Saraikela Kharsawan have been selected for rolling out the DBT initially. Now the Center has added Khunti, lohardaga and Bokaro in the list.
Ranchi has also witnessed the cases of subsidy refund. The district on March 8 was presented `2,772,749 under the post matric scholarship for SC students and out of it `9,130 got returned un-credited. Amounts also went unpaid for post matric scholarship for ST and OBC students in Ranchi and Saraikela Kharsawan.
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