Using the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) technology platform, more than Rs 36,659 crore has been transferred through direct benefit transfer (DBT) to the bank accounts of 16.01 crore beneficiaries since the start of the lockdown, in the wake of the outbreak of Covid-19, the Controller General of Accounts said on Sunday.
DBT payments by the Centre, between March 24 and April 17, under all the central sector/centrally-sponsored schemes amounted to Rs 27,442 crore in schemes such as the PM-Kisan (Rs 17,733 crore), Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (Rs 5,406 crore) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (Rs 999 crore). Additionally, states together made DBT payments of Rs 9,717 crore.
DBT ensures that the cash benefit is directly credited into the account of the beneficiary, eliminating the risk of leakage as well as improving efficiency. Cash benefits announced under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Yojna package are also being transferred through DBT. The Centre transferred Rs 9,930 crore to 19.86 crore women Jan- Dhan accounts (Rs 500 to each account) till April 13 .
PFMS usage for DBT payments increased over the last three financial years, with disbursements rising 45% year-on-year to Rs 2.67 lakh crore in FY20. It rose 22% Y-o-Y to Rs 1.84 lakh crore in FY19. However, DBT payments (cash and kind), inclusive of non-PFMS modes, declined 16% year-on-year to Rs 2.76 lakh crore in FY20, according to the DBT Bharat website.